Apple’s Product Obsolescence: Unfixable Macbook Pro

Apple products are high quality. They offer polished hardware and software at a hefty price. Apple products have been touted as long-lasting – so perhaps they are worth the investment. Now what if those same expensive products are slapped with an expiry date? Welcome to Apple’s newly introduced product obsolescence.

I like many Apple products, but it is no secret that many of Apple’s business practices really tick me off. So needless to say I was very . . . disappointed . . . to learn that Apple has decided to make their new MacBook Pro’s unfixable or upgradeable. This means costly Apple-only servicing. If your battery dies, you are out of luck. After all, Apple Care only covers manufacturer’s defects and the battery only lasts 300 cycles on average. So no more assuming your investment will last for many years without additional expenditure.

To make things worse, because the entire notebook is sealed together tighter than Alcatraz, recycling is difficult. This is likely one of many reasons why Apple initially backed out of the EPEAT environmental standard. The aluminum used in the MacBook Pro is supposed to be highly recyclable, but sources indicate that because the glass is glued to the aluminum, recycling is particularly difficult.

Apple’s recent decisions certainly fit with its “buy it from us or die in a hole” mentality, but it is decisions like this that could cause consumers to wake up to the increasing long-term costs of owning Apple (on top of the very high initial cost of owning Apple). Good thing Apple has an untarnishable reputation – fanboys can’t even see the words I’m writing.

See the Wired article “The New MacBook Pro: Unfixable, Unhackable, Untenable” for more information.

 

P.s. no, I won’t stop hating on Apple – they have too much money to be allowed to make a single move that doesn’t benefit the end consumer.