14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is making it almost impossible to make aftermarket upgrades to the base configuration iMac launched this year, and that includes both the RAM and the storage media.
Lee Hutchinson writing over at ars technica makes a good point in saying “though Jobs has passed, his no-tinkering legacy still remains strong with Apple's flagship desktop.”
Customers not only have their hands tied when it comes to memory upgrades, but it also seems that even SSD installations are forbidden. The reason? Apple doesn’t include any connectors on the logic board to add a secondary storage option, the most logical of which being SSD, since the computer already ships with a 1TB HDD.
What’s worse is that the 21.5-inch model can’t be configured with solid state storage, or the new Fusion Drive spec. If they’re dead-serious about sliding in an SSD, the only option customers have is to unglue the screen, remove the motherboard, eliminate the hard drive and use the now-free SATA port for an SSD drive.
The HDD can then go to a friend or on eBay, your choice.