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Desktops (Apple) Apple

Apple Switches to Build-to-Order Systems on Its Web Site (macworld.com) 43

Posted by EditorDavid from the think-different dept.
"Apple has gone for a choose-your-own-adventure when shopping for a new Mac," writes long-time Slashdot reader esarjeant.

Macworld explains: Apple has shifted from selling pre-configured Mac models to a fully customizable build-to-order system on its website, allowing customers to select display size, chip, memory, and storage options... This change emphasizes building a machine within budget rather than choosing from set configurations, potentially preparing for future CPU/GPU core selection with M5 chips. Third-party retailers like Amazon and Best Buy are expected to continue offering standard configurations for customers preferring traditional purchasing methods...

Apple is rumored to offer the ability to customize CPU and GPU cores with the upcoming launch of the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models, so this new system could pave the way for more build-to-order options. It could also be a way to âoehideâ smaller price increases as memory and other component costs rise throughout 2026.
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Apple Switches to Build-to-Order Systems on Its Web Site More

Apple Switches to Build-to-Order Systems on Its Web Site

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  • Dell or Lenovo or basically any PC vendor has for the last 25 years.

    • Re:Just like (Score:5, Insightful)

      by newcastlejon ( 1483695 ) on Saturday January 31, 2026 @05:48PM (#65961530)

      Just like Apple has always done, you've always been able to customise what processor/RAM/storage you want. Apple are famous for screwing people over on additional RAM/storage. As far as I can tell the only difference now is that you can change the screen size. When I bought this one last December you chose the screen size then customised it however you wanted.

      It's a non-story.

      • Re:Just like (Score:5, Interesting)

        by dgatwood ( 11270 ) on Saturday January 31, 2026 @06:06PM (#65961552) Homepage Journal

        Just like Apple has always done, you've always been able to customise what processor/RAM/storage you want. Apple are famous for screwing people over on additional RAM/storage. As far as I can tell the only difference now is that you can change the screen size. When I bought this one last December you chose the screen size then customised it however you wanted.

        It's a non-story.

        The old system was sometimes confusing as heck. A sane design would have maybe three suggested configurations, but each one would be just setting the values, and you could then tune it further. Instead, with their old setup, what you chose at the beginning also determined which options you could select, which meant that configuring a machine with a particular amount of storage or RAM or CPU speed could require you to go back to the top and try again.

        So here's hoping whatever they are doing now is more straightforward.

        • Ah that makes sense. You should get a job with Macworld.

          • Yeah, it was confusing. It was hard to understand the implications of picking the base preconfigured models, especially for non-technical people. Then, there was overlap between these pathways once you started configuring things, making that original choice even less clear. Sounds like a good move to me.

      • You are talking about the Apple Computers company that was there from the beginning up to Gil Amelio. After Steve's return to the company, that all went away. But prior to that, there were all sorts of add-ons that one could add to one's mac to make it as custom as possible: in fact, that Apple was something like Framework Computers is today

        It would be nice of Apple to bring back that sort of functionality. Allow people to determine which CPU, how much RAM and upgrade space they need, how much storage

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by dfghjk ( 711126 )

          "in fact, that Apple was something like Framework Computers is today"

          Not a fact, not even remotely.

        • You are talking about the Apple Computers company that was there from the beginning up to Gil Amelio.

          No, I'm talking about the Apple of today. When I bought the device I'm typing this on back last December there were options for CPU, RAM, Storage, screen type, keyboard, bundled software etc. The only difference between my experience and the one described in the article is that you couldn't switch between screen sizes in the custom options.

          It would be nice of Apple to bring back that sort of functionality. Allow people to determine which CPU, how much RAM and upgrade space they need, how much storage, and maybe a limited choice of GPU options (including Nvidia).

          You can still do that. They never took that option away.

          Apple has shifted from selling pre-configured Mac models to a fully customizable build-to-order system on its webs

      • I think the real story buried in the lead was that apple have significantly changed its notorious "marketing ladder" (You start with an affordable mac at the top of the ladder, then go down the ladder each time thinking "Hmm , only 300 to double the ram size, I think its worth it" , then at the next rung "Hmm only 200 to double the ssd space" and so on, and after 6 or 7 rungs your mac has doubled in price but you now feel committed to it, because by chosing it, you made yourself want it. It was shockingly e

    • Re:Just like (Score:5, Funny)

      by serviscope_minor ( 664417 ) on Saturday January 31, 2026 @06:22PM (#65961574) Journal

      Dell or Lenovo or basically any PC vendor has for the last 25 years.

      Sure but Apple invented it, like they invented touch pads, smartphones and sex and music.

      • Invented it sure, but then abandoned it after Steve's return to the company. Probably b'cos NEXTSTEP was nothing remotely close to System 8: there was no plug 'n' play. So if you swapped out a card and then turned the system back on, it would have had issues recognizing the hardware
    • I'm not sure why Macwold would say it is now customizable when it has been customizable. What has changed is the webpage. Before a user could pick size, screen, chip etc. on the webpage. Now, it forces the user to pick screen then chip then memory by scrolling down in more of streamlined process.

  • iForgot. (Score:4, Funny)

    by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Saturday January 31, 2026 @06:03PM (#65961546)

    (Apple Store Worker) ”Alright, we’re at $1799 so far for your new system.”

    (iStudent) ”See Mom, it’s not so bad.”

    (Apple Store Worker) ”Mmm, yes. Now if you’ll just take your build ticket here over to counter 7, where Marco our RAM sommelier will refresh your memory as to why we’re not quite done yet. Mom, you’ll be heading over to Chapt, er I mean counter 11 where our finance concierge will walk you through our pre-approval process for memory mortgage options.”

    • This isn't just the same old Apple joke anymore, this is pretty literally how they built the system.

      Even if you go build a high-end M5 MBP, it defaults to 16 gigs only. And there's an edit button to reveal 24 and 32 gig options. And then a further button to reveal the 64, 96, and 128 options, where the price goes up *fast*.

      It wouldn't shock me at all if pushing those options out of the UI was a bigger reason for the change than anything else, RAM prices are insane right now.

    • Old jokes are old, keep up on tech and you'll realize that while they still charge a ton for for extra RAM, the base mac minis and macbook airs have been pretty universally praised as amazing deals for what you get. It's Dell and Lenovo, and Intel and AMD on top of that, and Microsoft overall, that have failed spectacularly as somehow Apple can charge their huge margins and still sell you a better specced, more useable laptop or desktop for the same price as the competition.

    • Re:iForgot. (Score:5, Funny)

      by sinkskinkshrieks ( 6952954 ) on Sunday February 01, 2026 @03:49AM (#65962088)
      RAM sommelier: We have this well-rested DDR3 Taiwan varietal of a reserve 2010 vintage. It was a particular good year with floral notes and mellow bitterness. While it's pre-loved, it's fully-performant for 20-year-old technology. It happens to be available today only for premium discount pricing subscription members for a limited time for the very low price of $10/GB/day after the $1000 initiation fee and $50/month maintenance and support deluxe package. We think that ownership is too onerous and too much commitment these days and it's more freeing to constantly pay for everything while owning nothing that can be rug-pulled and bricked in an instant.

      • RAM sommelier: We have this well-rested DDR3 Taiwan varietal of a reserve 2010 vintage. It was a particular good year with floral notes and mellow bitterness. While it's pre-loved, it's fully-performant for 20-year-old technology. It happens to be available today only for premium discount pricing subscription members for a limited time for the very low price of $10/GB/day after the $1000 initiation fee and $50/month maintenance and support deluxe package. We think that ownership is too onerous and too much commitment these days and it's more freeing to constantly pay for everything while owning nothing that can be rug-pulled and bricked in an instant.

        This is such a good response I don't know whether to golf clap or ignore it with aristocratic snobbery.

        * golf clap *

  • I'm not sure about the extent it could be done on their current macbooks or iPads, but they should certainly do this on the mac pros - the cheesegraters. Give people the option of which CPU, how much RAM and SSD (please use standard interfaces) and a choice of a few Nvidia and AMD GPUs, aside from Apple's own. Oh, and also how many ports of each type - Thunderbolt, RJ-45, HDMI and so on

    I really wish they had something like this for the Mac Pro 6, which was the "trashcan" Mac they had in 2013. I have be

  • This is almost like what they used to have, except now (for some bizarre reason) the "included" option isn't automatically selected as you're guided through the purchase options.

    You literally have to click on the "included" option (button border turns blue) before the next section will "unlock". Holy Hell!!! It doesn't even show you what's "included" if you just scroll down the page! The word "included" doesn't appear in the next section until you've clicked it (or selected another, pricer option) in the

  • Macbook TCO Has Skyrocketed (Score:5, Interesting)

    by organgtool ( 966989 ) on Saturday January 31, 2026 @10:25PM (#65961886)
    I bought my first and only Macbook Pro in 2006. Over time, I upgraded the RAM to max it out and I upgraded the disk drive several times as storage prices fell. Due to all of this upgradability, I was able to use this as my primary device for fourteen years until the GPU finally crapped out. While I'd never had any issues with the laptop before the GPU died, it was made up of commodity components that could easily be sourced and replaced by skilled technicians at third-party shops. Due to that, I never felt the need to get AppleCare. It will likely go down as the best laptop I've ever owned.

    Contrast that with the current Macbooks which can't upgrade the RAM or storage after purchase. This means that if you want to build a laptop that lasts a long time, you need to pay Apple their extortionate fees upfront for RAM and storage as there is no ability to change your mind later. Most of the components can no longer be sourced by third-parties, so you'd better max out AppleCare as well. And after that expires, if any component dies on the motherboard, even a $5 IC or capacitor, your only option is to pay Apple $800-$1500 for a refurbished board since they refuse to replace individual components on the board. And if you maxed out the RAM and storage to future-proof your machine, you'll be paying the upper end of that price range. Also, depending on the component that dies, you may lose all of your data in the process. And that's only if Apple doesn't refuse to service the laptop in the first place. Tally that up, and it's hundreds, maybe well over a thousand, dollars just for future-proofed RAM and storage, hundreds for AppleCare since third-party board repair is virtually impossible, and well over a thousand after that if any component on the board shits the bed after AppleCare expires. Macbooks have essentially become premium disposable laptops.

    So while the option to customize your Macbook via build-to-order will certainly alleviate some of the TCO issues that modern Macbooks present, they're still a very far cry from what they were in the mid 2000s and early 2010s. It's a shame because the M-series chips seem pretty great, but I personally can't justify the enormous hike in TCO. But based on their sales numbers, I don't think my priorities mirror the average person and I highly doubt Apple is missing my business.

    • 2012 was the last fully fixable MacBook Pro... I understand; however, laptops always more static than desktops.

      Some of this change is progress. We used to have network cards, sound cards, 80 column text cards, storage device cards, peripheral port expansions, GPU cards, RAM, HDs, etc. Over time those things were consolidated for cost and everybody had them anyway. Apple did it in part because getting expansion hardware was not only more expensive for their proprietary systems but 3rd party support and a m

  • Don't go crazy making things easily repairable and upgradeable using commodity components, releasing schematics, or having repair parts that are of reasonable cost. Gotta stay Apple-y and IBM PS/2-y enough by having proprietary parts and custom ASICs that aren't sold as individual components. Oh, and definitely don't make PCBs more corrosion (moisture/water) and power rail short resistant... the nerve of even a tiny bit of board encapsulation or IPxx mechanical design.

    Just keep up the open/green/sustainab
  • Not much you can customize besides what's standard now.
  • I think the big news is that your can return a "custom" configuration. In the past, you could not return a custom config.

  • I still can't order a Mac mini with an M4 Max with 128GB of memory. Moreover, you still can't order a M4 Max studio with 256GB or 512GB of ram, the Apple configurator still forces you to pick the M3 Ultra, so I don't see anything that has actually changed from the previous build to order system I still can't buy the configurations that I want.

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