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Comment by bzzzt | Hacker News Reader

> Before you applaud Apple for being too libre and think the company has changed direction, keep in mind this is the same company that ships recently launched monitors without user replaceable power cords and locks out in firmware the possibility to upgrade the SSDs on the very expensive Mac Studio despite teardowns showing that it's phisically possible by end users.

I don't get all those accusations that are constantly recirculated on tech forums. A non-removable power cord has a big advantage: it's hard to lose it. I've never damaged a power cord before (or heard of someone who had) so is it really that damning you should go to a repair shop for something like that? Also, Apple never advertised removable SSD modules. I don't care what they put in that box as long as it works as advertised.

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>A non-removable power cord has a big advantage: it's hard to lose it.

How could you possibly loose a monitor power cord? It's not a portable device that you travel with. But in a home or office setting I can certainly see the cord getting crimped under the weight of the feet of desks or chairs.

>so is it really that damning you should go to a repair shop for something like that?

Yes, going with your equipment to an Apple Store enquires down time and extra costs that wouldn't be a problem if you could swap the cable yourself in two minutes.

Heck, they already do that with the excellent removable mag-safe power cable on the Studio display. Come on! Seriously. They proved they can do it but choose not to because fck the consumers and the environment.

>Also, Apple never advertised removable SSD modules. I don't care what they put in that box as long as it works as advertised.*

That's the problem. It's not about you, it's about the environment and the e-waste that these company's products generate because while they could be more user upgradable and repairable like the old Macs were that people still upgrade and use today, Apple now spends resources to make sure their new products are not upgradable or repairable, in order to have you buy more of their stuff instead of keep using their old products for longer.

> How could you possibly loose a monitor power cord? In a 'flex' office environment where people are regularly relocating I expect lots of people missing small stuff like cables.

> I can certainly see the cord getting crimped by furniture and damaged under the weight of the feet of desks or chair legs. And yet I've never seen such a damaged chord.

> it's about the environment and the e-waste that these company's products generate because while they could be more user upgradable and repairable like the old Macs were the people still upgrade and use No one in their right mind would want to be dependent on hardware running toward the end of the bell curve for anything 'mission critical'. Also, why do you think those SSD modules are removable? Probably saves you quite a lot when one dies since you don't have to replace the logic board.

>cable on the Studio display.

This is an interesting bit about how the same company can "design" so many different ways to do the same thing. I wouldn't expect them to have a dedicated team to design power cords/sockets. So teams designing different products at the same time will probably have slightly varying designs. Then I go back to that's what VPs are for to see what's going on within each design team and see how good ideas from one can be shared in the other teams.

In other words, how can something as cool and useful as Magsafe be on one thing and not obviously mandated to be used on all the things?

It's often useful to be able to replace a power cord with a longer one -- depending on your setup the standard 2m cord might be too short. Extension cables are pretty unsightly, especially with big grounded plugs like the Schuko plug we have in Austria.

It's also useful in some setups to use power cords with right-angled connectors, because they make cable management easier.

Also, moving to another country is easier with standard sockets: just get a couple of new power cables from any random hardware store and you're good to go!

> A non-removable power cord has a big advantage: it's hard to lose it.

Lose??? The power cord for a big monitor???

The mental gymnastics are amazing! Good old Stevie J., now turned zombie, still projecting the distortion field.

Not trying to nitpick. Probably the parent might have meant “forget it when moving the monitor to a different place”. This happens more often than one may think once you have trashed the box the monitor came in.

But yes, it is a bit strange to write it down as an “advantage”.

Those cables are standard and a dime a dozen.

Well, they are a dime a dozen now, because Apple hasn't gotten their paws on them fully :-)

The Emperor of Mankind [1], the most powerful psyker ever, still protecting humanity from the forces of Chaos 10000 years after his death.

[1] https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Emperor_of_Mankind

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