Apple has returned to using two 128GB storage chips in the new Mac mini with 256GB of storage, according to a partial teardown video shared on social...
The teardown video also reveals that storage is modular in the new Mac mini, meaning that it can be easily removed since it is not soldered down. As we saw with the Mac Studio, however, replacing the modular storage is complicated.
Apple decided they want memory modules that only contain memory because the storage controller is on their own silicon and they have direct low level access to the storage chips if they do it themselves. Probably cheaper (for them) without redundant controller parts they don’t need too.
Surprised nobody has reverse engineered this yet to make compatible upgrade modules. Probably not enough money in it. Edit: there’s a kickstarter for some homebrew modules which seem to work but they’re still pretty expensive.
I just got mine with 1TB. I added a second external SSD for a bit more space. Good enough for me. The only issue is that I can’t point the Dropbox app at the external drive. The new one has to point to the user home folder (guess I could move all of that to the external drive).
Indeed, totally an Apple approach to modularity: it is a proprietary Apple SSD…
Apple decided they want memory modules that only contain memory because the storage controller is on their own silicon and they have direct low level access to the storage chips if they do it themselves. Probably cheaper (for them) without redundant controller parts they don’t need too.
Surprised nobody has reverse engineered this yet to make compatible upgrade modules. Probably not enough money in it. Edit: there’s a kickstarter for some homebrew modules which seem to work but they’re still pretty expensive.
I just got mine with 1TB. I added a second external SSD for a bit more space. Good enough for me. The only issue is that I can’t point the Dropbox app at the external drive. The new one has to point to the user home folder (guess I could move all of that to the external drive).
You could create a symbolic link, that would work.
I’ve heard it doesn’t due to Apple restrictions on the new operating systems for Apple silicon but I’ve never tried it myself.
Symbolic links work just fine.
In fact, there is very little that works differently between Intel and Apple silicon on macOS.
From what people told me macOS shouldn’t even work AT ALL on Apple silicon. Don’t believe everything you read online ;)
And presumably if you switch the SSD yourself, you’ll brick the whole thing!
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Ifixit accomplished it. Required another Mac to reinstall the OS.
I mean, if you’re swapping it for a drive with no OS on it, wouldn’t that make sense?
Older intel macs could do an internet recovery on a bare drive. The internet recovery system was part of the ROMs/BIOS.
Right I forgot about that