My absurd Apple Store repair experience

Apple wants to vector away from Intel Macs, which isn't news, but they're leaving the most dedicated Mac users or professionals in the lurch. I've been sitting on this for quite some time and finally decided to make the video about my absurd Apple store experience.
/ dmug
This is a short rant I've had for a while, and I debated posting it. I can't help feeling Apple left Mac Pro 2019 owners holding the bag and treating them badly. Apple still has not supported the AMD 7000 series GPUs, aka Navi 31, which is AMD's 5 nm Chiplet technology; they were released one year ago, December 13th, 2022.
Not long ago, my Mac Pro 2019 reported a fan issue in diagnostic mode.... and this is the wackiness. that followed.
Chapters
0:00 The Mac Pro 2019
3:08 My absurdist Apple Store repair experience
8:16 Addressing the inevitable comments
Shooting locations:
Cascade Locks, Oregon
Rowena, Oregon
Links:
The Definitive Classic Mac Pro (2006-2012) Upgrade Guide
blog.greggant.com/posts/2018/...
The Definitive Trashcan Mac Pro 6.1 (Late 2013) Upgrade Guide
blog.greggant.com/posts/2019/...
The Definitive Mac Pro 2019 7,1 Upgrade Guide
blog.greggant.com/posts/2021/1...
Sources:
appleinsider.com/articles/19/...
appleinsider.com/articles/19/...

[@rossmanngroup]

I am sorry you went through this. These types of poor experiences can turn people off to the concept of repair in general. Repair should be something to look forward to - a good experience getting something back, and a learning process, with people who wish for you to be made smarter through the entire process. It makes me sad you had this experience.

[@dmug]

Thanks, as long time fan so I can’t say I was super shocked by Apple’s behavior but still a little surprised since the selling point was the modularity. Lesson learned.

[@BozesanVlad]

Best eco friendly thing to fill up land fields..

[@jcampos]

@@dmug "long time fan"... assembly? 😊 Seriously, one of the reasons I've never got Apple's fanbase was the way they treat their customers (worlwide). Even if they are undeniably high-quality products (the price/quality ratio might be debatable, but most of them are high-quality compared to others... in fact, as expensive as it is, the Mac Pro could be considered very decent value for the money) and "pretty", their general behavior seems to go -against- their users... I've never seen a "high-quality brand" treat their users with so much disrespect (in general) and still be treated by their fans as still "the best there is". And I understand there are other reasons to use Apple (using osx-only software, like Final Cut or Logic or such, is the top 1 I can think of), but if it was my case [which isn't, thank god], I'd "reluctantly" use Apple products because I had no choice, I'd definitely not be a fan.

[@GeoStreber]

I hope you'll be intelligent enough no longer to do any business with Apple at all. @@dmug

[@StaceyAyodele]

Yeah, @@dmug it sucks that they built it for modularity, but then don't wanna let you repair it easily...just insane.

[@bartonlynch]

The Mac Pro 2019 was a slap in the face to Mac Pro enthusiasts and professionals. Apple knew they were releasing a dead end machine in the light of an imminent launch of a full architectural shift from x86 to Apple Silicon. At the ludicrous price they asked, ads insult to injury. My condolences to everyone who bought it. Apple should be ashamed.

[@Mr_ToR]

Exactly. Such shame. Especially considering the latest fiasco with the apple watch patent infringement, which brought further into light how Apple bevours small-businesses, makes it a real bad Apple. Tim Cook is ulta un-cool. Such cheap and low-class attitudes. Has the worst technical support. Against self or 3rd-party repair... Really hard to understand. You have the best phone, OS and most money, chill da F out man.

[@dayjeremy]

​@@Mr_ToRIt could easily be argued that they're not the best they just market it that way.

[@zeppo20]

Tim Cook you are fired!

[@Eightpspi]

They failed 2 generations in a row

[@Teluric2]

​@@Mr_ToRmy Daughter iphone 13 has 4 months and is stuttering.

[@marc6340]

You are SO right! When I take my car to be serviced (and they need to replace a part), they ALWAYS give me the old part back. Their logic, it's YOUR part. For instance, if I get a new battery and they keep the old one, I get a CREDIT for the old one. If Apple wants to keep your old part (or not give it back) they need to give you CREDIT for it.

[@bc5441]

And returning the old part also proves the work was done when you can fire up your car after the repair. The problem really was the old part. Apple is on the wrong side of Right to Repair, and I say that as the owner a bunch of torx-screwed and glued-together Apple products.

[@auteurfiddler8706]

I suspect they have a pile of old parts in the back to give you if you ask. That happened at a big BMW dealership to my friend. I think they put some half worn brake pads on to replace the wholly worn screaming ones. And the ones on the SUV that were half worn were just kept there. Oh, they did not realize I was in the service area and normally customers can't get back there.

[@Schaelpy]

Apple went far and beyond to crash the market for replacement parts by restricting access. Or even by cryptographically tying parts to the original device. The reason they want the fan back is because they don’t want parts available which could be used by independent repair shops.

[@dmug]

Yeah, I’ve seen the Louis Rossman rants on that topic but with the Mac Pro, it purposefully designed to be easily serviced and taken apart unlike a laptop or phone where they aren’t. I’ve never touched a computer so easy to work on. The whole point is that it’s brain dead easy to work on and yet you can’t. It’s a feature they hyped but didn’t deliver.

[@PvtAnonymous]

@@dmug you are confusing two things here: repairability and upgradeability. The latter is supposed to be part of the process for any consumer and Apple gives you the "more power to you" thumbs up. The former on the other hand, is VERY tied down. Apple always insists on following weird procedures during their repairs. This is why you always have to send back old parts to not be charged an arm and a leg (like $400 for a part with return, $3800 if you don't return it, just as an example). Apple Store have to follow the same procedures of course, there's even less negotiation compared to 3rd parties (AASP & IRP). So as a certified technician I will tell you: it annoys me every day, but there's little I can do.

[@MrCooper83]

True! Shame that I can only give you 1 like!

[@WarriorsPhoto]

@@dmug I agree with you 100%. This is a modular machine and we bought it to take it apart when need be.

[@dmug]

@@WarriorsPhoto it’s almost like what’s the point of it being modular if you can’t fix it yourself? the power supply is amazing. It is easy to replace the GPU. Some guy commented that they wouldn’t sell him one and it took three weeks for Apple to replace. It takes about 3 to 5 minutes tops to replace and that’s not an exaggeration

[@lirfrank]

As a PC user, the idea that the manufacturer would gatekeep a simple fan replacement is... unappealing, to say the least. I'm sorry Apple users have to go through all of this.

[@lucasrem]

You try to run Fiban Cut on on Windows, what gate to keep ? M.2 is better, this system is too old for these updates now.

[@TheOneAndOnlyOuuo]

@@lucasrem you are the definition of a useful idiot.

[@lirfrank]

@@lucasrem Fiban Cut? You mean Apple's Final Cut? Of course it's not on Windows. That statement makes no sense. M.2 is better than Sata, yes. Not sure what that has to do with anything either.

[@livviasong]

@@lirfrank Especially since the Mac Pro has M.2 NVMe SSDs (though with a proprietary connector :/ ) and you can add any M.2 with a PCIe adapter card.

[@EJBert]

Thank you I wasn't sure who was having the stroke!@@lirfrank

[@dingoosh]

I had the exact same experience with my 7,1 last year with the power supply. It got zapped via a power surge and they refused to give/sell me a replacement PSU even though the machine was and still 100% covered by AppleCare. Took them a week to “diagnose” the issue that I told them day 1, and another 2 weeks to receive and install the part. I had to lug the thing in and out of a mall 1 hour away to drop it off and pick it up. This process didn’t need to be so complex, if only they would’ve shipped me the stupid part.

[@dmug]

Very similar here, I couldn’t find the exact time frame but it was at least 3 days for them to diagnose it. The bonkers part with the PSU is it’s soooooo easy to swap. I’ve taken mine out for a video. Absolute madness. Why bother if they’re not going to let you do it yourself?

[@Wainster]

I've supported Apple for years. I've built hardware PC's myself for over 34 years. I HAVE NEVER, had a PC I've built fail EVER, within the time frame your Pro level computer has. I'm mortified that they refuse to supply a part to you over the counter. This video needs as much traction as possible. It might be worth reaching out to MKBHD, or Snazzy Labs? I'd even contact Apple online directly, getting nowhere in a store is down to the staff in the store - you need to aim at a higher level...

[@dmug]

I don’t know if they’d have much of an angle. MKHD had a relationship with Apple that he’s not looking to rock and Quinn has been on this roller coaster before. Apple has written in their repair contract that any replacement parts become their property. So not sure what I can do. Unlikely anyone will break that for me.

[@user-te1le7ck6b]

MKHBD is a apple shill and snazzy doesn’t have that star power to force apple to care , so here we are

[@bigbubba0439]

I hate how Apple says everything "just works," when I could fill a book with all of the Apple things that don't work or work well for me. My MacBook Air M1 is always trying to mess with me with thermal throttling and storage issues (it's cursed with 128 gigabytes - not my choice), while my PC gets an issue once ever few months (but the difference is that they aren't chronic and they are actually FIXABLE)

[@zollotech]

This is a pretty poor experience. While I haven’t had issues with my Mac Pro, I don’t use it as the Apple Silicon is much faster for what I do with video editing for example. That said there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to just buy the fan and I do wish Apple would support the latest AMD GPU’s giving it a much long lifespan for those who need it. Additionally they should have offered an update path to Apple silicon as a retrofit since they still use the same case and there is no reason you couldn’t just swap out the motherboard if you wanted to.

[@sjgrall]

Offering an upgrade option from Intel to Apple Silicon on this chassis would've been extremely logical. But Apple of late does not seem logical or customer-focused, only profit focused. There is not much of a compelling use-case for the Apple Silicon Mac Pro at all, given the inability to upgrade the RAM.

[@DBLCreations]

@@sjgrall Agreed, and that's what makes this more sad. Because that 2019 case was made for modularity. It's why i bought my 2019 Mac Pro in the first place.

[@DanWhite1025]

I was just thinking that about the iMac. They say they are all about sustainability...why not just let people slap the M3 PCB into the back of their M1 iMacs and call it a day?

[@sjgrall]

@@DanWhite1025 true sustainability would impact profit and shareholders. Apple in the 80’s and 90’s offered paid upgrades for Macs. You could for example turn a Mac SE into an SE/30 with a logic board upgrade, not terribly dissimilar to what you’re proposing. Sadly, those days are long gone.

[@CJinMono]

Apple's customer service for their computers has been going downhill ever since the iPhone became popular. Stories like this confirm that I made the right decision in leaving them behind.

[@cLickphotographySEA]

That's why we stopped using Mac Pro's! Poor customer service just after a few years. We have been using HEDT ThreadRippers for the last 6 years. We can't be any happier!!!

[@chebrubin]

Yes like the forced you to use Windows 11 and Davinci Resolve or whatever. Honestly a Hacintosh with the latest AMD cards is the best option for the next 2 - 3 years. Apple SOC PCI cards is absurd.

[@vanCaldenborgh]

@@chebrubin I did not know the newest AMD cards run on Hackintosh, thought the old 6000 series were the last to be driver supported.

[@adamjg4]

As we learned from the previous Mac Pro experiences of the last decade or two, they don’t want to encourage DIY self-servicing or internal user upgrading at all! 😮

[@BrianJones-wk8cx]

The 2019 Mac Pro is the epitome of both the best and the worst of Apple, almost a parody of itself in how beautifully brilliant it is designed but also how almost immediately Apple undercut any sense of its potential (or even relevance, really) with its whim and walled garden of support. While I still adore my 2010 Mac Pro, I cannot imagine having picked up a 2019 model new only to find it so stunted so soon after investment. Appreciate all the work that you personally do for the community, thank you for sharing your frustrating story, keep us posted!

[@PvtAnonymous]

especially when it's getting outperformed or almost outperformed by friggin MacBooks for a fraction of the price.

[@dmug]

​@@PvtAnonymous The great performance boost with Apple silicon doesn't bother me, as that's how technology goes but I figured at the very least I'd be able to modernize the computer for some time.

[@PvtAnonymous]

@@dmug yeah, but releasing a computer that costs as much as a car when you're already finalizing processor designs for ARM chips is kinda disingenuous. They knew what they were working on and they still released that thing without a shame... it was released literally half a year before announcing the move to Apple silicon.

[@dmug]

@@PvtAnonymous Indeed, although I'd hazard to guess when they started the redesign it wasn't a forgone conclusion they'd switch to their own designs.

[@PvtAnonymous]

@@dmug that I am certain of, since they have different teams often not knowing what the other does. They still could've offered something that is standard for pro-equipment though: a support timeframe. Meaning providing OS and driver support for x amount pf years guaranteed. Instead they basically dropped this Mac Pro like a hot potato - and this isn't the first time that happened (cough trash can cough) so it doesn't really spark confidence in the Mac Pro lineup for the years to come either. If anything, it's getting worse with non-upgradable ARM models.

[@gregorykunit890]

I had a PowerMac G5 in 2006. The power supply died. You just repeated the exact experience I had at the Apple Store. That was 18 years ago! The company is not going to change. I've been a happy PC user ever since.

[@caperbrennan4556]

The idea of the Mac Pro and was close to perfect in 2012. Yet, Apple just doesn’t want to go there again. They want something more than sales, they seem to want a subscription fee on their products for an almost unlimited revenue stream.

[@shockwave77598]

Not to mention, telling you what you can and can't run on YOUR computer, what you can and can't do WITH your own computer, etc. I vividly remember apple refusing a newspaper artist the right to have an "cartoon a day" app on their store. A week later, he won the Pulitzer prize. Guess who Apple asked to resubmit the app for approval again... I have a mommy -- I don't need Apple to do her job.

[@michaelkphoto8344]

Very disappointed with Apple lack of support for the Mac Pro 2019. Paid top cash for it, and stuck with obsolete GPU. 😡🤬

[@justin6581]

This is why you build your own pc

[@michaelkphoto8344]

@@justin6581 This was helpful, thank you. Now I feel much better.

[@dmug]

You and me both, I only have the poverty version of the 2019 as I paid $6k but still that's far more than I ever spent before thinking maybe I could make it last nearly as long as my cMP. Apple sure has made sure that won't be a possibility.

[@michaelkphoto8344]

@@dmug My sentiment exactly. This is a dual purpose computer for me - work on MacOS, play on Windows. Looks like Apple has different interests. They definitely lost this customer. 🤬

[@dmug]

@@michaelkphoto8344I’ve been trying to figure out long term what I want to do. I guess I’ll move towards having Mac laptop and a nice NAS and I guess a PC? I just don’t think I’ll be buying Apple desktops unless KZbin ends up paying the sort of money I can justify it. I took a gamble on the 2019 and got burned. Don’t feel like playing that game again….

[@yjchoi17]

Long time Apple user/fanboy here. After decades of using “consumer Macs,” I finally pulled the trigger and got my 2019 Mac Pro saying to myself that it’s going to be my last Mac as I was thinking of riding it forever. Ironically, it really is going to be my last Mac, but not because I plan to ride it forever, but because I have lost faith in Apple and decided to never use Macs again. The way they play everything secretly is a joke. I’m talking macOS. Sure they can decide to move to Apple Silicon, but vaguely saying that they will continue to support Intel Macs “for the years to come” is nothing but a kick to the balls. This is a pro machine that requires investment with long term plans. Having to worry about being dropped support is not what I paid for. Now, my Mac Pro has been strictly a Windows machine for about a year and I have absolutely no regrets about doing that. Yes, moving away from Apple’s tightly knit ecosystem introduces inconveniences, but I pretty much have workarounds that work good enough.

[@vanCaldenborgh]

Under Windows and Linux you can run the AMD 7000 series on the Mac Pro 2019, not? Would be interesting to know, how much faster the Mac Pro would be in some for me relevant Benchmarks. But it stays academically, I am afraid, since Apple will never allow faster Graphics Cards to run on the Pro machine.

[@yjchoi17]

@@vanCaldenborgh you can run any GPU under windows on the Mac Pro. I am using NVIDIA 4090 and totally love it!

[@pyeltd.5457]

They are also dropping support for all their M3 Macs

[@jinraigami3349]

@@pyeltd.5457 "They are also dropping support for all their M3 Macs" Huh?

[@artemasgray]

It's like they don't know what "Pro" means and think it means "Luxury". Spent 10 grand on a machine? You're rich, then, shell out another ten for a new one. This is so ridiculous. Why can't they release a replacement motherboard with Apple Silicon?

[@drumphil00]

The rest I expected from Apple, but refusing to replace parts without taking from you parts you already paid for, especially when it isn't a repair under warranty, is just plain theft.

[@dmug]

The part that I don't know if I communicated well is my utter shock that they made a computer specifically designed to be easy to service by a novice user. It's not surprising they pull this nonsense with iPhones and MacBooks but the Mac Pro? What's even the point of the Mac Pro?

[@hugeshows]

I've been doing repair work on and off for decades. Cars, computers, electronics, guitar amps... Any tech that doesn't offer to return your old parts is a thief.

[@nojuanatall3281]

I bet they don't even put a new fan in. They just clear the code or install someone elses refurbished fan. How do you know it is a new fan if you don't open the box.

[@arthurswart4436]

You own your computer, the components are your property. Apple doesn't decide how you discard your waste. Of course Apple wants this machine to disappear as soon as possible. Every day they exist, they have to offer an Intel version of the OS. With an AS version and an Intel version of the same OS freely available, there is a chance someone will reverse engineer an Intel - AS api that can tie a pcie card in with an AS logic board. That would start a new Hackintosh era, using AS. Apple is well aware of this, they probably developed the T2 control chip to sabotage the use of Apple hardware outside of the machine it came in. There will be a workaround, if the owners find it worth the effort.

[@dmug]

T2 does perform some things like hardware encryption and codec acceleration, but it certainly does have the wiff of being anti consumer.

[@Wannes_]

@@dmug It's a bit more than just a whiff on Apple Silicon, linking storage (where still replaceable), screens (or screen position sensors) to a certain Mac , so even if you get donor parts somewhere, you still can't use them for upgrades or repairs

[@vascomanteigas9433]

Or helping the Darling projecto, which is a Wine for Mac OS X application running on Linux. It is Still alpha, but at least they managed to settle the Metal to Vulkan wrapper at this stage.

[@JonTrott]

I love the 2010-12 Mac Pro machine design. In fact, the whole line-up Apple offered in that era was easily fixable and beautifully designed. Frankly, your experience with that now-orphaned 2019 machine is just one more reason I will not buy Apple M series for the foreseeable future. It is the only way I know of to punish Apple for their freakish anti-self-repair design and policies.

[@debluetailfly]

I had a 2006 MacBook Pro with Snow Leopard. It could run rings around my 2012 ½ with Mojave. There is a lot of software I would love to be able to use, but it is no longer 'allowed' by Apple.

[@matthewspencer7849]

I know exactly what you mean. I have been an Apple user for nearly 30 years now. And I was so excited to hear about the 2019 Mac Pro thinking, finally, it has arrived and then when they gave us the next lineup of Mac Pro with the chip processes and being told that they're not even upgradable and they have the balls to call it a Mac Pro. but that's beside the point. I have also noticed a severe problem when it comes to their helpdesk/technical support. It has been getting slightly worse ever since Steve passed away unfortunately we all know that Apple is driven by profits and I don't have a problem with that. But you used to at least be able to get a straight answer out of people at Apple and nowadays you can't, and even when they do give you an answer, it's completely ridiculous like this gentleman and his fan assembly. So you're not the only one that is disappointed in Apple I am as well and I know that we're not the only ones I don't know how they can keep saying that they are trying to do the right thing by the environment, but yet they will not sell us the very Parts to keep these Devices in circulation for as long as possible to keep them out of landfill

[@ricl7413]

Nothing environmentally friendly with companies that glue, solder and make hardware practically impossible to repair or fix yourself. Then it requires people to travel about to the nearest apple store and all the time that takes. Like yourself I have used macs for decades and we all used to be able to fix most issues and easily swap parts and upgrade systems. Wouldn’t touch an apple product anymore, as I had a product that I could have easily fixed but Apple dont make it that way anymore. Its the most expensive doorstop ever. Its all about money and control. Absolutely no interest in anyone being able to fix their own device. Just an awful company.

[@matthewspencer7849]

@ricl7413 Sadly, I completely agree I couldn't have put it better myself. if it wasn't for OS X and iOS being so easy to use with my disability, I would consider changing companies hopefully some new Tech start-up out there somewhere Will coming up with something new that makes us all stand up and pay attention, and more importantly, get us back to work and help to inspire us the way Apple wants did rather than just being this blatant cash grab

[@dayjeremy]

Apple doesn't back right to repair, they back right to repair bills that allow them to restrict access to parts and manuals under the guise of security or that they can otherwise place restrictions on. By the way, there are laws requiring the return of your old parts upon request. You own them.

[@bravado2809]

Your upgrade guides are amazing and I think they're a very valuable resource for the community. It's sad that Apple treats such a customer this way.

[@dmug]

If I had to guess, Apple would much prefer users such as myself abandoned the platform as we're a fussy group who'd rather upgrade than outright buy a new computer.

[@benbork9835]

Recently the Motherboard of my MacBook got fried so lucky me in my second year of guarantee I went to let it fix. I did have a backup albeit 3 weeks old. Firstly the guy just assumed I knew I was going to loose all my data to the point where I had to asks multiple times what will happen to my data to where he responded "yeah ofc you'll loose all you data" as if the customers data is totally unimportant. This is the first thing the guy should've started with: "(mhm maybe the customer is oblivious that he's going to loose all his data cause of a tiny circuit fail on the MB) is there any precious data on there?". We've come to the point that when any component on the MotherB fails it is straight up deemed "unfixable" and therefore all your data is simply "gone". It's a pretty shitty computer if you loose your data if any component breaks. Very sad. It's one thing to solder on the system on a chip but the ssd? Come on

[@PvtAnonymous]

in Apple's eyes data doesn't matter. This is why Apple always assumes that you have everything backed up (which I would STRONGLY suggest on any models with soldered on SSDs and mobile devices). Every guide they give you is always like "you forgot your password? No problem, restore the device to factory and recover from backup". They don't even talk about data loss, because they don't care. Fair warning though, other manufacturers will also most likely wipe your device. Had it with Samsung, Google, basically it's industry standard.

[@dayjeremy]

This is by design and a big reason why Louis Rossman and others with similar shops get so much business. Apple wants the repair to be costly and difficult for you to do so that they can sell you a new system. They don't want to repair it and their green initiative is bullshit and nothing more than a PR image stunt. Their repair policies do far more harm to the environment than their green initiative will ever do good. I wouldn't be surprised if they change AppleCare+ in the future so that it just gives you a discount on the new model when your Mac breaks, and it will break by design.

[@ghost-user559]

I know you might not like this but in all honesty this is a good thing. I used to have an older model, and lets just say previous models had literally zero security. Anyone could reset your password and bypass encryption and your data was theirs. They did this to prevent themselves being liable. They won’t admit to it, but their older machines were absolutely data mines, and they put the T2 in for that reason.

[@swolfington]

Along with everything already said, Apple has a conflict of interest when it comes to providing the actual level of service you'd expect; they want you subscribed to iCloud. By making its official policy to not even attempt data recovery at all on any level, they think they will drive you to do that.

[@YoureNowOnTV]

Apple could easily sell parts to end users. They could take the serial number of the original piece of equipment. Make it mandatory to take a photo of the part that requires replacement. Register replaced parts against the serial number of the original machine. Limit repeat sales to stop people on selling parts. There are lots of ways of making the self-repair system work.

[@dmug]

Very much so. Bonkers they'd make a computer designed for novice users to repair then not let them repair it.

[@TheWutangclan1995]

You’d think a desktop computer that’s meant to be modular wouldn’t fall to apple’s anti consumer and repair antics. Sadly, Apple is doing it and I think this will be Apple’s fall from Grace.

[@MrMacavity]

When I saw the thumbnail I first thought it was a cheese-grater 😆

[@dmug]

It's more of a pasta press.

[@nerodyosus6425]

I was AASP for over a decade. The day the first T2 Macs rolled out along with the official documentation and processes for component pairing, I knew the end was near. I got out as quickly as I could and it seems my intuition was spot on. What a shame this is what Apple has become.

[@ghost-user559]

The T2 was absolutely the best bad thing apple has ever done. The right to repair aspects are terrible, but no longer can your grandma reset a bios and bypass all your passwords and encryption. So honestly if I had to chose between the two, the T2 is the lesser of two evils.

[@nerodyosus6425]

You couldn't reset the "BIOS" on a pre-T2 Mac to begin with. Apple's implementation of UEFI on Mac doesn't have a user interface and the last user accessible pre-boot environment was Open Firmware on the G Series Macs. Your grandma isn't going to know how to work that, load Recovery mode (which is what I assume you mean by BIOS) on modern Macs or bypass FileVault anyway. Plenty of effective device/data safeguards existed on the Mac prior to the T2, all Apple did was weaponize "security" against users for its own benefit. The lesser of two evils is still evil.@@ghost-user559

[@Mainyehc]

@@ghost-user559uhh, since when was that a thing with FileVault 2, pray tell? 🤨

[@snowwsquire]

@@ghost-user559except you can do the same things with a tpm and you can still swap out parts

[@montaguebarnabasltd]

Great video. Disappointed the usability and legacy of such a great computer is being ruined, effectively by capitalist greed.

[@dmug]

Yep. I’m sure some of, if not the majority of the people who worked on designing the computer wanted it to be used for many many years.

[@Raymond0Brien]

Thank you for this! I’ve only had problem with OWC Ram so far but have been wondering about this a lot lately. That sucks. We definitely have to be more vocal about this problem. Happy Holidays!

[@claytonberg721]

They humped me over badly on my airpods max repair. I found their customer service to be horrible and uncaring. To explain it right would be 500ish words which most don't care about anyway. I'll watch this space and if someone wants to know, I'll explain it. That said that broken fan is his, he paid for it. Not allowing him to put the replacement in is one thing, not letting him keep what is his property is another. I might have been an early adopter of vision pro, but my experience has left me very weary of them.

[@Dmeister406]

Having grown up with Macs and being an Apple fanboi all through school and university, I actually went and worked for Apple as a sales manager (such was my love for the brand). It was when my 17" MacBook Pro (which I had been running Windows via Bootcamp to play games and use certain software that either wasn't available on MacOS or didn't run as well) failed outside of warranty that my eyes were truly opened. The part that failed was the GPU and an entire new logicboard was needed, costing over $2000 AUD. I remember thinking to myself; "what am I doing?! I can get a machine with infinitely more horsepower, at a fraction of the price and have the ability to service the machine myself at minimal cost if I go PC". And so fast forward to today I have been using Windows PC exclusively since 2013 and have never looked back. It was around the time that Apple introduced the iPhone was around the time that Apple started to make a clear shift away from their Mac range towards the iOS ecosystem. Now it really does seem like they couldn't care less about Pro users as the demands of that user segment (power, upgradeability, expansion, servicing) go against Apple's philosophy of "if it break buy a new one".

[@phantomlanefour7611]

There is a reason I do not use Apple any more. I used to use a Macbook Pro with a Nvidia 1080Ti eGPU over thunderbolt, until Apple stopped NVidia drivers from working in a update to MacOS. Apple literally stopped me from using the hardware I was using quite happily because they had a grudge against NVidia, and actively worked to prevent NVidia from producing drivers for MacOS. This was on top of Apple refusing to sell me the battery to replace another Macbook Pro's battery that had swollen, they wanted me to buy the battery and the whole keyboard/trackpad assembly, even though there was nothing wrong with those. I just wanted to buy the battery, as that was the only thing that needed replacing. In the end I bought a third party battery and replaced it myself. That was the day I sold my Mac, and switched to Linux/Windows.

[@charliekuhn1544]

Sorry to see you have to go thru this. As much as you have to shell out to have one of these computers, I would expect Apple to have much better customer support. I am fortunate that my workflow and needs do not require anything more than the 5,1 MacPro I have been using. I will stay with what I have as I can easily get parts I need to keep my rig going. :) Good luck!

[@SamOoms]

I learned my lesson when I bought a 7,5k version of the 2013 trash can Mac Pro. I trusted the accessory market to really pick up but they limited all options with proprietary connectors and to add insult to injury, include a socketed CPU that’s basically impossible to upgrade.

[@juanKme]

I totally agree with the updated ending of the video; hopefully the situation changes and everyone can get the support that this product deserves and so on.

[@Kurazaybo]

This is by no means exclusive to Apple, I was in a similar situation with HP about 11 years ago. My company purchased a super expensive server that just did not work. It suddenly turned off by no apparent reason. They replaced the expensive Xeon processor twice, fans and some other parts. In the end, after a couple of visits from a specialized technician, they determined the problem was actually the power button. You would think it would be a super easy replacement of a part that was maybe $5 dollars. Nope. The power button is considered part of the case and the case is not covered by warranty, cannot be replaced and it is not available for purchase on its own. The issue dragged for months, so long that I actually left the job and moved to a different city and never knew how the story ended.

[@NanddeepKeer]

I live in India, here the after sales service is terrible. I brought my first apple product iPad 6th Gen. Its Touchscreen stop working within three years. I went to apple Service Centre to repair but they told me its out of warrant they do not repair iPad at all. I was ready to pay the cost for repair. But there is no repair policy in India for iPad, Airpod, Apple watch. If your apple product stop working after warranty period its basically a e-waste felt with you. This is how hypocrite apple works who shout in their product launch presentation how do they care mother earth.

[@MacSoundSolutions]

Sucks Greg. This has to be the shortest support life of any Mac to date, killing off the GPU drivers in 4 years for the most expensive Mac Pro ever is criminal and not being able to buy a fan assembly… cmon Apple. I am in process on making a video on this…

[@dmug]

Let me know when it’s done, I’ll be interested in seeing it.

[@MacSoundSolutions]

@@dmug will do!

[@douglas_edward]

Remember that macOS specifically disables GPU encoding/decoding acceleration on the 5,1, even if you have all of the proper hardware installed. Of course, we get around that by spoofing an iMac Pro through OpenCore. Apple's decision to not support multi GPU encoding on the 7,1 smells about the same.

[@macgamer1973]

A people forget that remove bootcamp for Mac Pro 5,1 in Mojave?? We can’t even install the latest boot drivers. Do like me buy used Mac Pro for parts for your working Mac Pro

[@stevejohnson1321]

Since apple started soldering in SSD that are sure to fail, I've dismissed the company. Good thing I can get my tasks done on Ubuntu and BSD.

[@musicalneptunian]

As an audio professional I left Windows for good in 2019. The video is why I went Ubuntu Studio for my OS with a silent computer. Of course I looked at Apple...yick..no.

[@stevejohnson1321]

For those wanting or needing commercial software, the choices are rather limited. I do run Goldwave under Wine, but that's my only paid program. Audacity is gradually catching up. And someone finally ported WordPerfect, though I've forgotten most of the F-key functions.

[@fmlazar]

fact of the matter is, Apple doesn’t give a dam about the Macintosh at all. They gave it a boost in the Intel era as it was the only way to make it at all relevant, but now the focus is on turning what’s left of the Macintosh line into nothing more than iPads with keyboards.

[@JoseTheRover]

Great video and I hope they listen to you. I think Apple is silly enough to think that the AMD chips and supporting them will cannibalize their sales. The irony is that there is still a huge market for Apple Silicon and them not supporting their old Mac Pros goes against the whole sustainability nonsense that they spent so much time in their keynote yapping about. Very hypocritical, and they should be ashamed of themselves.

[@mirelurk-fish7387]

better get louis Rossman on the line

[@dmug]

I’d be interested on his take, I’m sure he’d be unsurprised and point to Apple’s repair program preventing unauthorized repair shops. Laptops and phones aren’t designed to be user serviced but this computer is.

[@mirelurk-fish7387]

@@dmug it was like when he tried to get parts for Linus iMac Pro and it was a total pain in the ass

[@audialsavant2658]

In CA, it is literally against the law for a repair facility to keep your old parts (whether car, computer, or electronic device), unless it is explicitly stated BEFORE the repair is done that it is a "Core part" that will be used to rebuild and hence you are getting a discount on that part, Many states have this clearly documented in their consumer protection laws to prevent a situation where parts were claimed to be replaced and were not indeed replaced, helps prevent fraud. If you research your state, and ask for a manager and remind them of the law, they will comply and give back all parts.

[@osamaemara9707]

I agree with everything you said in this video. Also it is a bigger problem in place like here in Egypt where there is literally no official Apple service center, and third party repair centers are extremely overpriced.

[@dmug]

I have to admit I never even considered what it'd be like to be in an entire nation with as populous as Egypt without an Apple store.

[@beitie]

This is so sad to hear. Especially because of the way Apple supported the 4,1 and 5,1 with pretty solid firmware updates and such. The 2019 felt like it could be a return to that same support, and the price was made so high that customers should and will demand that level of support.

[@dmug]

Apple did all the cMP users a super big solid by bringing NVMe to the 5,1s. Whoever managed to keep them supported like that is a hero. I'm sure there's plenty of people who work at Apple who'd prefer to keep supporting the 2019.

[@LeicaCat]

Would love to see Tim Cook cornered during an interview on some show like 60 minutes and asked to explain to a national audience what their justification is for this. Of course, we know the real answer: If Apple were to allow you to buy the parts and install them yourself, that would also allow independent repair shops to do this as well.

[@travispulley5288]

That sternwheeler in the background at 4:20 was recently blown loose from its moorings by the strong winds we just had. It got stuck on the Thunder Island bridge, and the captain and a bartended hopped onto it from the bridge to recover it!

[@mlthmp]

You have a fine channel! Give yourself time and you'll catch up

[@MrJamesMoore]

I can understand them not selling it to you if the machine is under warranty. The customer may not install it correctly, and would lead to complications. But that’s not the case here. Also, not giving you the old fan back is plain wrong. You brought it, thus it’s yours. Personally I would be livid about the whole thing.

[@dawn1berlitz]

they wont get away with that in areas where right to repair is legal they wont have a choice to sell the needed parts

[@bsdooby]

lovely region you live in...I digress; and I still like my old cheese grater Hackintosh.

[@futur3gentleman802]

This is unfortunate but exactly why I stopped using Apple products. I own things that make my life more efficient and Apple has been going out of their way to make their customers lives more difficult, illogical and expensive. Apple is a curated computing experience that isn't worth it. Not having laptops with removable media is nonsensical. Unfortunately Apple is a tax on the technologically stupid. Not to mention that some of the new games are incredibly fun and Apple users cant play most of them which is bonkers.

[@MrMoogle]

Stories like this are why I will never own a personal Mac again. I have a M2 Max MacBook Pro that was issued by my employer and it's a daily battle to get my external monitors working correctly almost every morning. I'm to the point where I'm about to just purchase a ThinkPad and go BYOD just to get away from MacOS. I never have any of the issues I have on my Mac (sleep problems, mouse disconnects, keyboard not working after waking from sleep, monitor layout rearranging or monitor just won't wake up, random crashes in Adobe apps, random Wi-Fi disconnects, etc.) with my Windows gaming desktop build. I also remember back in 2010 my iPhone 3GS stopped charging. I sent it in for repair under warranty and they refused to repair it saying it had water damage. I told them I never got it wet, and the lady told me if I live in an area with high humidity, that can be enough to cause water damage and voids the warranty. So, they've always been shit with their warranty service and anyone who says otherwise just got lucky in my opinion.

[@dmug]

I have a M1 Max, zero issues until semi recently. I use two 4k displays which I connect via a single thunderbolt cable. Turns out the cable went bad, so when my computer would go to sleep, it’d cause the secondary display to drop to 1080p. Now that I had. A replacement cable, things are working fine again. Perhaps it something similar. I’ve had pretty much zero issues with my M1 Max outside of an audio glitch that’ll happen even few months and it requires a reboot. I can’t say I’ve ever had a computer as stable as it, regardless of OS.

[@keithbryancwong1837]

I use apple devices for mobile. But I don’t use the Mac precisely for the reasons you have described. If you want upgradability and options a diy pc is the best option. Would have gotten rid of apple mobile products as well, but android software os long term support is sketchy at best.

[@nadtz]

I have a client who went through this x2. Had some problems with a laptop and a mac pro at the same time, he ended up so angry after jumping through Apple's hoops that they replaced all their Mac's with PC's (3 pro's and maybe 10 laptops) even though he doesn't particularly like Windows/MS. He had a few servers from Dell and getting a part for self replacement took 24 hours on a server from 2019 last year, he just couldn't reconcile the time and effort, not to mention the cost after dealing with Apple.

[@skatcat743]

This is what their whole business/profit system is built off of so many years of this it's hard to undo it while still being Apple.

[@musicalneptunian]

Apple's corporate culture can be summed up succinctly: paranoia. Along with Nintendo, Apple is the world's most paranoid, control-freak outfit. "Nio, No , NO , you will not keep that fan you bought Mr customer. You got to give it to us to get a repair."

[@Teluric2]

​@@musicalneptunianthey fix it and sell it to another dork .

[@MrFoxygang]

Serial linked parts, soldered parts and terrible support puts off any Apple

[@QuinsTechCorner]

Classic. They’re so scared of people having a use for these machines, that they’re artificially restricting spare parts. I also had no idea that they had stopped supporting new GPUs in a FOUR YEAR OLD computer, but it doesn’t surprise me at all. As you know, I love macOS and mac hardware, but… well and truly fuck apple and their predatory, wasteful, and unethical practices. Makes me sick.

[@dmug]

Yuuuup. I’m always frustrated as I feel like Apple abuses my good will for investing in their ecosystem.

[@sidensvans67]

 Always less for more .

[@QuinsTechCorner]

@@dmug They are. It’s doing my head in.

[@glynnetolar4423]

I remember when Apple users touted how long the lifespan of an Apple product was. Wonder if those dimwits are having second thoughts now. No, they're also the ones who'd tell me how they don't get viruses either. I've cleaned 3 macs in the past couple of years. OOPS!

[@kylekirby6424]

Apple is fucking weird with their repair regulations. My laptop had pitting on the aluminum body and they refused to repair it. I asked if I had thrown the laptop on the floor and it got dented, would they fix it, and they said yes. ????? WTF?

[@jUsh-Nwjz-Qn7d]

I think you hit the nail with the GPU performance issue and apple limiting gpu updates. As a mac pro user I honestly believe if they would remove their stupid walled garden ipad mentality from the OS and let guys tinker the 2019 Mac Pro with current gen hardware upgrades could smoke anything from apple silicon, who cares if it heats up the house while doing it- that is extra! But for apple that would be embarrassing so they limit hardware modularity with software

[@vanCaldenborgh]

it is amazing how extremely fast prices of used mac Pro's fell. But also tells a lot about Apple's after-sale care about this product.

[@dmug]

If I had to guess, had Apple Silicon not been announced or been so performant, they’d been worth more.

[@vanCaldenborgh]

@@dmug Sure, but with support for the current and next generation of AMD graphics cards, what I would have expected, it would probably have been much less of a devaluation. Also a (firmware) update for the Overdrive card could have helped und would have been fair. The only still happy Mac Pro 2019 users are the sound studios, works perfect with all the new and old cards (often extremely expensive stuff) and all the plugins work also. All the new thunderbolt-solutions still have some drawbacks and Apple Silicon sound software in general have some bugs. But probably another three years and that will also change.

[@TheWutangclan1995]

I wouldn’t be surprised to see this computer be a tenth of how much it’s worth in a few years because no one can repair or upgrade it.

[@smakfu1375]

They only backed that right to repair bill after they lobbied to defang it. Apple is opposed to outside repairability and serviceability of their products as it impacts multiple revenue stream strategies (AppleCare, replacement hardware, etc.). That their NIH and control obsession has now cut them out of a big chunk of the high-end market, namely in ML, where their integrated GPU’s aren’t even in the same ballpark with Nvidia and AMD discrete hardware. This alone pushed me away after decades of MacPro’s and MacBook Pro’s. It’s not even a matter of whether I like their stack, it’s that they literally cannot run the workloads I’m dealing with. Unfortunately for Apple, they’re going to learn that cutting themselves completely out of the broader compute ecosystem, and believing they can build everything themselves is foolish. They aren’t the standard for ML and GPU compute, their API’s and frameworks mean nothing in that arena, making them an also-ran in one of the most important emerging markets. It already shows in how far their services have fallen behind in things like natural language recognition. Given their NIH syndrome, complete disdain for customer repairability, their increasingly adversarial attitude towards customers (it’s only a matter of time before they try to take root privileges from Mac users, iOS style), and their penchant for ignoring problems, and you’d be nuts to continue investing in their ecosystem if you can avoid it. It’s a shame that they’ve let their greatest strength, namely being a vertically integrated hardware and software platform, become an increasingly pathological weakness.

[@skymakai]

Just found your channel and support this open letter to Apple. Also, I happen to be visiting family in Portland and recognized that you're in the area!

[@TonyLasagna]

This is so on the money, and I went through something similar. January of 2020 my Mac Pro arrived with a scratched front handle. I called Apple the minute it came out of the box, and heavily documented everything. It took me about 3 hours, because they had zero support in place for it and seems like they still do not. Somehow, and I can’t even remember how given how exhausting it was, I got someone on the phone in Texas where they made the machine. He Fedexed me a new handle. I never contacted Apple for any issues with this machine again.

[@dmug]

That’s close to when I got mine, I kinda wonder if they really intended to sell this machine or not.

[@TonyLasagna]

@@dmug pretty much the same feeling I have had since I got it. made a few mistakes configuring it on my own, but saved a lot of money just upgrading the processor to the 16 core and later getting the 5700 pro which I now realize was kind of a mistake too. It plays things like Diablo four on ultra but I think I should’ve kept the radeon seven I had originally put in. Other than that it is kind of a great machine, the one weird thing I have is booting off of my sonnet nvme carrier It takes a few extra minutes, but don’t have any performance issues once mac os is booted.

[@TonyLasagna]

@@dmug and I did, of course, by my own, quality CC memory, and saved a bundle there to us. I am sure you did.

[@EElgar1857]

It's shameful behavior on Apple's part, no doubt. I bought a 16 core 2019 a few weeks ago on Ebay, for a little north of $4000, in gorgeous condition, which is less than a third of the original price, but your experience pisses me off no end. I'm never buying a new Mac from Apple again. I love your videos! 😁

[@lanceevans1689]

Excuse me, but I had a Mac Lisa in the 1980's, which had a very short lifespan. Then a Mac Quadra which was quite good. But then a beige G3 who's mother board died and could not get another at a reasonable price. Then a Cyan G3 that would wipe the main hard drive if you installed a second HD (even though there was a space designed for it!). Then my friend had a Mac Cube that melted, and another had a Macbook that burned the hair off his thighs. Then....the list goes on. If you can't see the pattern then it's you, not Apple's fault. I jumped to PC 20 years ago and have mostly joy. And when some component goes south, I can get it swapped out within the hour, cheaply, fast and efficiently. None of this craziness.

[@user-zd7id9rx3f]

I prefer macOS over Windows but unless you need to use Mac exclusive software you are better off with a Windows or Linux machine.

[@shawnpepin7890]

The fact that you are contemplating buying the new Mac Pro as an option after the crap they put you through is part of the problem

[@dmug]

This is something that needs a lot of context. It’s been a long hobby of mine to write upgrade guys for the Mac Pros, but that ends with the 2019. These guides are quite popular, averaging about 10k - 30k page views a month. I’ve done them for free. There’s a few people out there who were looking to me write a guide on them. Now, the only way I do it is if I made enough money off it on KZbin to more than cover the cost as there’s no way I’d buy one under other circumstances, as it’s a poor purchase. I’d be silly not to get one if benefitted me financially.

[@jacksonburger2081]

Okay, if they didn't let you get your old fan back, then you need to pursue this. By all legal and dictionary definitions, that's theft. From A Literal Multi-Trillion Dollar Company No Less. Merriam-Webster: "specifically: the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it."

[@dmug]

As someone else pointed out, part of the service agreement is that any removed parts become property of Apple. I'm sure their level 9000 lawyers drafted that airtight.

[@Teluric2]

​@@dmugamazing!! What a scam!

[@tekis0]

Apple's support of the 2019 Mac Pro is inexcusable!

[@robertoaguiluz7350]

Im sorry about your fan assembly. I really enjoyed my Mac Pro 2019 and the 2010 model before that. and will keep using both systems till they wont work anymore. That being said Im not considering Apple at all for my next workstation. Its really beyond me and everyone why Apple keep sabotaging their pro costumers like this.

[@Ultrajamz]

This is why I consider a mobile tech company. Desktops they make are simply bad deals on multiple levels.

[@Ninjastar202]

Wonder if we can remove the stock fan and put in a 3rd party fan system?

[@dmug]

You really wouldn’t want unless it was a last resort. It’s dead silent most of the time, to the point I’m not sure if it’s on or off, even with the 6900 XT. Also the RPM range is extremely larger on them.

[@tYNS]

Been using Apple products since the 90's. I felt the gross neglect and greed start the second Jobs died. I bought many Power Macs over those decades. I could not bring myself to buy trashcans and out of date over priced (near 10g) machines with limited upgrading path. Apple needs a reform in their business practices. They have chased away an entire customer base that helped revive their computers. It's like a slap in the face to loyal customers. Only saving grace is that I believed in Jobs when he came back and bought stock at the time. Right now I am in the process of moving to Windows for my workload. I built my last Mac many years ago because apple had no options that were affordable to allow expansion.This has been the best Mac I have ever owned because I could upgrade drives, replace parts and add new GPU's over the last 10 years. That's how you "really" reduce e-waste if you actually care about those virtues.

[@username7763]

Apple has been doing better than ever while treating their customers poorly. Why would they change? It is part of their success.

[@ericjenks9596]

The 2019 mac pro reminds me of my g5 quad and my 1.1 Mac Pro. All basically written off by Apple in a tech heartbeat

[@lasmith05]

To be honest 8 times out of 10 when I have to do anything at an Apple Store I feel immediate frustration with apple’s inflexible process for everything. Not only that but I especially hate how there is no actual line you are kind of standing around an area in the store. I also hate making an appointment and still waiting 30-45 minutes to be seen depending on the store. I could go on forever about all the things I hate about the Apple Store. I’m glad to see Louis rossman and others repairing Mac’s without the Apple Store. That place is where hope goes to die.

[@dmug]

Back in the day, my experiences with the Apple Store were positive. I’ve haven’t spent much time in them. In the past eight or nine years, I probably been to an Apple Store five or six times. I’ve rarely had problems with my computers and when I buy them, I tend to do it online.

[@benmuetsch]

Apple really needs to provide parts to buy for professionals. Maybe one needs a backup PSU or backup fan assembly as downtimes can be really bad. Three days for diagnosing and telling you can only get it via trade in is not acceptale for a computer this expensive. It's a workstation, you need to be able to buy parts.

[@dayjeremy]

They do, if you're a corporation and send your IT guys in for certification. And they still make you destroy the old parts.

[@Teluric2]

Thats why macs are not used in advanced fields.

[@ZeuzIncorporated]

"Dear customer, we are sorry to hear about your bad experience with us. The only thing you can do is upgrade. Love Apple"

[@noonesomeone669]

The strategy of Apple is simple, keep the consumer within a tightly controlled user experience with a regular upgrade schedule. The computer, phone, watch, etc are just the portal for the ecosystem. Repairs only happen within a supply chain they control. Software should ideally only acquired through their storefront where they get a cut of the sale. Compatibility with legacy applications isn’t a goal. Products are built with limited upgradability to incentivize new purchases. Product configurations are chosen minimize price sensitivity. The business strategy of Apple is excellent however it is awful for the end consumer.

[@tomv3999]

Your hat is on backwards. And I don't know what to make of the other hat. 🤣

[@secretgoldfish]

Apple stores lost my patience a year or so back when I took my computer in for a repair .......and was then told by a vague, over-smiling (and creepy cult like) employee that I had to BOOK it in like a Dr/Vet Appointment where the nearest 'appointment' was two hours away (even though the store was empty and had more staff than customers). I was then stuck in a shopping mall for two hours waiting which is the equivalent of my worst bad/hell nightmare. The computer ended up a write off due to the bulging battery being one month out of warranty.....which they had ironically replaced themselves 13 months earlier due to a class-action induced recall.

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Yup, Apple's service just for upgrading to 16GB RAM is around US$600 & that was almost 10 years ago. I did ask that they make the RAM available in the Apple physical stores or Apple online so we can just install it (Intel for example is use replaceable). Thankfully the RAM I installed, a 3rd-party is very compatible after testing it. I wish they would be like car repairs who give you back the replaced parts which would just be junk in their shop, unless they can make money off it from a junk shop. Though I guess they balance it and make up for it with cool OS and seamless integration. God bless.

[@JohnSmith-gs4zv]

1:30 Who made this abhorent chart? The colors of the background completely distort the colors on the legend and mapping the colors of the bars gives me headaches. It's kinda mind boggling how some tech people don't understand the most basic concepts of data visualization.

[@Mondor-type]

You are not the target consumer they want.

[@jirikominek7893]

Hello, are you sure you really have a faulty fan on your MP7.1? If you have a third-party graphics card installed and you run the device diagnostics, you will get an error message about a faulty fan even though everything is fine. I wish merry christmas.

[@dmug]

That is very interesting. I’ll have to try running the diagnostic with my MPX 580.

[@mikapeltokorpi7671]

Apple: "You do not own your computer." Nothing new here. It is about end-to-end profitability of a product line. Tesla is coming fast behind with this idea.

[@michaeljkeeney]

Apple: We will not give you back something that you own. We are thieves. Couldn't have described Apple better myself. Thanks, Apple.

[@moorestreetfootscraytrucks2909]

The other question is why is there a problem with the fan assembly after only 4 years of use? My work from home and general use PC is an HP Z230 from 2014 which I bought second hand 4 years ago and is always on. No problems with it at all. I also bought a second hand HP Z440 to use exclusively as a Digital Audio Workstation. Both machines (touch wood) have been super reliable. I am very impressed with them and second hand they are not only unbeatable value but also a very environmentally sound solution. My next PC will most likely, also be a second hand Z workstation. Sorry for the Mac bad, PC good response but I didn't go Mac because of everything you are highlighting in this video. (And Louis Rossman).... Good video, and good luck with it. I will look out for an update.

[@secretgoldfish]

Sad but doesn't surprise me at all......I remember going into an Apple store to buy a Thuderbolt cable a few years back and three different 'geniuses' tried to sell me a lightning cable instead, finally a fourth (and more senior) person was called out of the backroom who knew the difference but who then informed me that they didn't stock Thunderbolt cables.

[@garyb2507]

Keeping old/broken replaced parts is common in the watch service industry particularly with companies like Rolex. All replaced parts are on an exchange basis.

[@username7763]

Yeah the watch service industry is pretty terrible too. Independent repairers and parts suppliers have long been frustrated by the consolidation and control. Manufacturers want to lock you into using their repair. I had my Longines serviced by swatch group which has an ETA movement. It came back in worse condition then it was sent. Eventually they got it right. I would have preferred a local independent repair shop but it wasn't an option; parts are not made available.

[@SatongiFilms]

you lost me at 300 dollar fan repair... holy shit.

[@RichHarrisThatBaldGuy]

"It's mine. I paid for it."

[@dmug]

As others have pointed out, it's likely a way for them to control the secondary market to prevent refurbished parts and unauthorized repair shops from performing repairs. Although there's plenty of easy fixes for this: require a serial number for part purchases and limit it X purchases for a part in a year etc.

[@rikprince8414]

Back in the G5 days, my optical drive died. Apple basically told me to piss off! Thankfully, it turned out they were using a re-branded off-the-shelf optical drive and I was able to replace it. But, it took me weeks to sort out.

[@thebandit1324]

You are completely right btw. i recently bought a mac pro 2019 and everything working so far. and its amazingly upgradable and i can run any os from catalina upwards. I cant stand windows constant updates and i cant stand apple as a company either. I just wish an viable alternative os would come along and blow them both out of the water. all this forcing people to upgrade nonsense needs to stop. and i cant bring myself to pay for an apple silicone machine that you cant even upgrade the ssd or ram on it. and not even selling you a fan on a modular machine like the mac pro 2019 just shows they want to kill it.

[@danield2000]

I agree. I still use a 2010 Mac Pro because I have the ability to fix anything in it. I also have a spare one to get parts from.

[@Piipperi800]

Apple Support and repairs for us more "advanced" customers generally just sucks real bad. Some Apple service centers don't even service "modified" devices, unless they're brought to them appearing as "stock" devices. I couldn't repair my iPhone's battery at a service center because the phone wouldn't boot due to the bad battery. They did tell me though that if I bring it in with a battery that let's the iPhone boot, they can service it then. And as for the GPU support, at least these Intel Macs can be used with Windows. Once I get an ASi Mac, I'll just "repurpose" my Macmini8,1 as a full-time gaming rig with an RX 7800 XT. It's not like Apple's going to add support for that GPU anyways (or even if they did, the experience would not be great). Just as a reminder, RDNA 2 has AV1 decoding, hw-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, but not on macOS. Apple clearly just wants people to move on to ASi as soon as possible.

[@s1amvwbug]

So, I am wondering has anyone used CHatGPT to write the missing code for the GPU that Apple will not support? Can it be done?

[@dmug]

This is vastly over assuming ChatGPT’s capabilities as can barely write, boilerplate Javascript, let alone, low level drivers that use proprietary technologies that aren’t available to the public. Large language models are very useful for code assisting, and not so good for generating code whole cloth. anyone who spent too much time with them knows that they have a lot of limitations.

[@the_overflow]

Sounds like they are short on the fans, and will recirculate them, so you probably would get just someones old fan with some fix they probably know how to do in 5 minutes. SO why would they just fix yours, likely as they can not do that in Apple store, and even Apple could feel a bit bad charging $350 for $1 component and 5 minutes of work. They probably are proud how Ethical company they are after all.

[@stevenp6761]

For this reason, I've opted for a half Mac, half Windows setup. I invested in an M2 Pro Mac Mini at £950 (2nd hand but still under warranty), primarily for daily tasks like Photoshop, video editing, and web design. Additionally, I acquired a second hand Windows system equipped with Intel's 16 core 13700 CPU, Nvidia 4070 Ti GPU with 12GB Vram, and 64GB system RAM for £1600. I use this for 3D work or anytime when 16GB RAM is not enough on the Mac Mini. While the Windows machine would cover all my needs, I still prefer macOS for daily use - hence the dual setup. Overall, at £2550, I've secured two powerful machines, one of which is repairable. Going forward, I'll stick to purchasing Macs within this price range (1K max), considering I used to spend around 5k on a Mac Pro.

[@dmug]

Almost certainly I'm headed that route. I think my first move will be build out a NAS. That way my storage needs are platform agnostic. I'm for my creative hobbies (KZbin, music creation, design) and my professional needs (ux development) I'll probably use a MacBook Pro. Then it'd be nice to have a compact PC for messing with AI, Virtual Machines, Linux, and gaming.