It just doesn’t make sense when you scrutinize it closely enough. Is this really what’s behind these changes? I doubt it. And bear traps - there’ll be bear traps that cut your fingers in half, if you try to fiddle with your hardware - and eventually, there’ll just be a kill switch that disables your computer when the new model is released.” Next there’ll be tamper-proof screws that self-destruct if you turn them with the wrong amount of force. Rest assured that proprietary SATA cables and hard drives are just the beginning. “What we’re seeing here is the beginning of forced obsolescence. This alarmist theory is perhaps best exemplified in this quote from ExtremeTech: Extending this reasoning, Apple may decide to do whatever it can to prevent you (or a third-party such as OWC) from making such an attempt. This means Apple doesn’t want users (or any unauthorized third-parties) attempting a “do-it-yourself” solution. Apple doesn’t offer hard drive replacements as a user-installable option on these iMacs. Second, it is consistent with Apple’s supposed desire to maintain ultra-tight control over its hardware and software. The design forces users with a problem drive to come to Apple for a replacement or (even better for Apple) buy an new iMac altogether. Why? Two reasons.įirst, it means more money for Apple. The idea is that Apple deliberately set out to make it as difficult as possible to replace an internal hard drive. “Is this planned obsolescence at work, or is the freedom promised in 1984 being revoked?” Indeed, OWC itself initially suggested it: The first theory is the one that has received the most play on the web. The final truth may represent a combination of these possibilities. As for me, I can imagine three possible explanations. In other words, we are left to read the tea leaves and attempt to answer these questions ourselves.
While I haven’t called them up to confirm my expectation, I haven’t seen any comment from Apple anywhere on the web. In such cases, your primary (perhaps your only) option is to have Apple (or an Apple Authorized Service Provider) do the repair.Įxactly why did Apple make this design change? What was Apple’s goal in creating the redesigned hardware? Who was the intended primary beneficiary of the change?įrom years of previous experience, I am certain that Apple is not about to provide answers to these questions. This also spells trouble for those seeking to replace a broken drive with an identically-sized non-Apple-supplied alternative. “Every workaround we’ve tried…resulted in spinning fans and an Apple Hardware Test failure.” The 2011 iMac has a new custom SATA power connector as well as proprietary firmware on the drive itself. The fans at high speed are loud, mainly unnecessary, and have caused a lot of headaches for DIYers everywhere.”Įventually, OWC found a way to work around this obstacle.
#New hard drive for imac upgrade
If you upgrade the hard drive, the fans can start spinning like crazy. “Since late 2009, there’s been a well-documented issue with the iMac line. As detailed by Other World Computing (makers of third-party drive upgrades), what had already been difficult to do is now near impossible: If you buy a new 2011 iMac and decide to replace its internal hard drive with a higher-capacity third-party drive, be prepared for trouble.
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