Apple "studio" power supply - duplicative sourcing strategy? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2022, 01:30:21 pm
content: It seems that Apple is looking to multiple manufacturers for the same sub-assemblies, in this case, a Mac Mini power supply.Apple has never had the standardization thats the norm in the PC world, thats their intent.But at times in the past, other manufacturers were making Power Macs that used commodity parts.That makes sense, actually.

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 14, 2022, 03:16:26 pm
content: *Mac Studio. I just bought one.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2022, 12:52:04 am
content: https://fccid.io/BCGA2615So how does that work, it looks like they've only tested one model "A2615" in these FCC reports.Which PSU did they test with?Model wise I guess they tested the highest end one?

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2022, 01:46:29 am
content: So its a more robust Mac Mini?I used to be an Apple fanboy and have ownedcountlessApple PCs of all shapes and sizes, but I swore off Apple after realizing how dedicated they had suddenly become to planned obsolescence. This was a couple of years ago and I have not looked back. I cant afford them any more. Something changed.I don't trust them anymore, I guess. And I was a dedicated Mac user, still miss the great times I had using them back in the 80s and 90s.Quote from: Kean on April 14, 2022, 03:16:26 pmDo you like it?

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 15, 2022, 02:23:01 pm
content: Quote from: thm_w on April 15, 2022, 12:52:04 amI don't know the exact FCC rules, but I believe there is an allowance for you to make certain changes as long as you can show you've done the work to ensure it doesn't impact on existing compliance. Similar to self-certification in other jurisdictions, but with the original compliance submission to back it up. I can imagine Apple or their contractors have sufficient testing results and documentation to show compliance, and know what they are doing.Quote from: cdev on April 15, 2022, 01:46:29 amMaybe a Mac Mini on steroids. Too early to know about how robust it is, but build quality seems good.Quote from: cdev on April 15, 2022, 01:46:29 amI've never been an Apple fanboy, or a Microsoft fanboy. I mostly use Windows as it suits my needs best, but I also use Linux a lot but rarely as a desktop OS. I can't say I distrust Apple any more than Microsoft or Google - not that that says much. I guess I feel a bit more comfortable having my business email hosted on MS365 than GMail.I have had a MacBook Air for a while but it was on its last legs and couldn't run current macOS releases. I was planning to buy a Mac Mini so I could urgently do some iOS app dev and support. When I compared the options I could get in-store earlier this week (rather than wait for a custom ordered config) I decided on the base model Studio instead.Quote from: cdev on April 15, 2022, 01:46:29 amLike my iPhone it does what I expect it to do and it does it well. I certainly find a few things about macOS annoying as they don't work like Windows, and in some cases it is better and in some it is worse (in my opinion).The hardware is impressive, but as I'm not a fanboy I find the price and repair-ability a turn off. I just urgently needed a replacement for my old MacBook.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2022, 02:02:44 am
content: If you take it into an Apple store you will find they will try to get you to junk it, if its more than three years old. They manage to convince a lot of people the cost to repair would be prohibitive but thats often not true.Often you can get it fixed or fix it yourself.Don't let them take it, you'll never get it back often if they do.3rd party techs like Louis Rossman are where I'd go.Even if its in mint condition, they do this.

author: SpacedCowboy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2022, 06:34:22 pm
content: Quote from: cdev on April 17, 2022, 02:02:44 amSo, full disclosure, I work at Apple, have done for almost two decades now.What you're describing sounds like Apple is stealing your property when you walk into an Apple store and give it to a 'genius' to have repaired (even if in mint condition ?) - I would like to know which specific stores this is happening, or if there's some nuance I'm missing in the above.I won't disagree than an Apple sales(wo)man will attempt to sell you stuff when you go into an Apple store, but I sort of expect that, well, everywhere. I would be very surprised if any equipment you give them to repair never gets returned. I think there'd be an almighty outcry if this was the case, given the outrage expressed whenever anyone gets to legitimately complain about an Apple policy - Apple drives clicks to webpages, and almost any issue-of-the-day seems to get outsize coverage...On a personal note, I've certainly been a customer at Apple stores, taken in my damaged kit, and had them just replace it on the spot, but I tend to buy AppleCare (one of the few insurance schemes I actually will pay for).

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2022, 06:12:15 pm
content: Quote from: cdev on April 14, 2022, 01:30:21 pmAh, more fabricated surprise/outrage by people who are either woefully ignorant of the industry, or who want to create drama where none existed.There is nothing even remotely new, unique, or even vaguely noteworthy about this. Apple does not make its own power supplies, but rather has them custom made by suppliers. Over the years, I’ve seen Apple power supplies (both internal and external) built by Delta Electronics, Flextronics, Lite-On, TDK-Lambda, Emerson, ASTEC, Dyna Comp and probably others I’ve forgotten or never saw. They’ve been outsourcing power supplies since at least the late 80s. It’s absolutely normal for a particular Apple product to have multiple power supply suppliers. Sometimes the various supplies share part numbers, sometimes they don’t (even if the specs are the same). Indeed, this is the case with many components, not just PSUs. Apple’s sheer scale practically dictates that multiple sourcing will be needed due to volume, not to mention that it’s just plain smart to not rely on a single supplier for any component. It would be negligentnotto wherever possible!Nor is this in any way unique to Apple: the HP laptop I got late last year came with two power supplies (one barrel jack, one with captive USB-C cord). The bricks themselves have identical enclosures, but one is made by Delta, the other by Lite-On.Disclaimer: I worked in sales at Apple Retail in the past, as well as having worked at both independent service providers and Apple Authorized Service Providers doing Mac support and repairs.Quote from: cdev on April 17, 2022, 02:02:44 amApple is free to set its own prices, policies, and what I’ll call the “menu” of services it chooses to offer (or not offer). If an employee tells you they can’t repair it at a cost that makes economic sense, it’s true, in the sense that a cheaper repair isn’t something the company offers. The front-line employee can’t just invent new services and pricing, after all. From experience on both ends of this, it’s not uncommon for Apple Store employees to suggest to a customer that a third party might be able to provide a repair or upgrade that the Apple Store won’t do, or can’t do economically.Quote from: cdev on April 17, 2022, 02:02:44 amLike SpacedCowboy, unless there’s some wild misunderstanding about what you’re claiming, I call total bull on this. Apple is meticulous about paper trails. They certainly aren’t going to steal customer product. (What use would they have for broken product anyway? Heck, even disposing ofworkingproduct that was abandoned by the customer is an arduous process.)Quote from: SpacedCowboy on April 18, 2022, 06:34:22 pmPrecisely. Fabricated outrage over complete non-things. It’s like the DHMO hoax.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2022, 05:10:31 pm
content: Me too, and this used to be a consistent plus for them. (the repair policy) But at some point they decided that their computers needed to stop lasting a long time. Which bothered me.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2022, 05:59:38 pm
content: Well, that would be bothersome, if it were true, but it’s not true.

author: Bassman59
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2022, 11:16:54 pm
content: Quote from: cdev on April 29, 2022, 05:10:31 pm... but that's not true. I have two 2012 quad i7 Mac minis and one mid 2010 Core2 Duo mini. None can run the latest macOS, but that's OK.The 2012s were both upgraded long ago to use SSDs, and both have 16 GB RAM. My son uses one of the 2012 minis for his school work and to run Apple Logic Pro and MuseScore for music. I use the other as a test machine and I set it up to run Windows 10 in Bootcamp. Both machines are perfectly fine for what we use them for. I don't see any reason why they'd stop working.The 2010 Core2 Duo machine is kinda slow but it lives in the room with my 3D printer and runs the Cura slicer well enough and it's a fine interface to the Raspberry Pi running OctoPrint.I know a lot of people still running MacBook Pro and Air from 2015 or so and they're still supported and just keep going. I honestly don't see this "Apple decided the computers needed to stop lasting a long time" thing.I have the 2021 M1 Pro MacBook Pro. It replaced a perfectly-fine 2017" MacBook Pro, which I sold to a friend. This was the first time I ever replaced a good machine simply because I wanted it, and I wouldn't have done it had the old machine not fetched a good price. That 2017 replaced a 2011 17" MBP, and the only reason I replaced the older machine was because it finally broke after being shlepped across the country in a backpack.Anyway, I suppose we can trade anecdotes back and forth all day.