They are only charging $1100-$1200 for the upgrade. Where are you getting a high-quality aftermarket 512GB SSD for much less than that (forget that you have to install it yourself)?

edit: pricing differs slightly depending on model

Is hard drive replacement in an MBP really difficult enough to warrant any mention when high-end SSDs are in play?

Nope. I got my 13" Macbook Pro in early January of this year and it took me a total of 10 minutes to replace the stock HDD with an SSD.

If you ignore the hours of data copying or fresh install.

I actually cloned it with Carbon Copy Cloner before switching it in. It was about another 5 minutes of work, and then letting it sit and run in the background for an hour. Not much to worry or complain about.

that's where lightpeak/thunderbolt steps in.

Especially if you get a list price discount (negotiated for small business, big employer, association, government, military) the apple upgrade price is below market price, at least for the 512.

As of this morning, $1200 for a 512GB SSD is cheaper than what's available on newegg.com