Mac Studio Storage Not User-Upgradeable Due to Software Block [Updated]

[VulchR]

Wow, you not only missed the topic by 2 countrymiles you also managed to do it on a level that only adding ancient aliens could make it worse.

Yes, yes I did. It's been a long Monday.... Ugh.

 

[neuropsychguy]

What the YouTuber did was not valid. It's highly irresponsible to post a video and criticize Apple without doing everything to show that Apple is in fact "blocking" storage swaps like this. If Apple does in fact block swapping, then go ahead and criticize, but first make sure what you are saying is accurate.

There's the Apple Configurator 2 process that needs to be run. There are other things to check first too, before posting a potentially incorrect video.

When someone mentioned the possibility of needing to use Apple Configurator 2, the YouTuber replied: "Definitely going to give this a try at some point. However, even so the fact that Apple makes what could be a simple process so difficult is discouraging and meant to drive consumers to paying extremely high prices to upgrade from the factory."

Whether or not his statement is correct, going to "try at some point" what might be needed to make the drive work sounds like a lazy response. Why correct a video when you can continue to generate controversy and get additional ad revenue.

 

[joelypolly]

Problem with tech YouTubers and their very limited knowledge of the actual tech they are suppose to be reviewing. Why yes anyone can run the 15 different benchmark apps that are available online.

As others have mentioned to replace the SSD requires you to use the Configurator App so the T2 security chip can bind the new SSDs with hardware encryption.

 

[citysnaps]

There are a lot of conclusions here without evidence. He swapped them after wiping them. What software prevents this? We dont know. How did it differentiate between the SSD from one Studio and another? And the case is not designed to be opened by users so this isn't a big surprise.

Everything claimed in the article could be true but its premature to conclude it is true based on this evidence.

Stop it! You'll earn zero forum cred spreading reasonable views on the subject. Especially without an obligatory swipe at Apple and Cook.

 

[Ifti]

So is this another case of Apple saying "You purchase an expensive item from us, so its now owned by you, the buyer, but we will still maintain control over what you can/can't do with the hardware".

Maybe they'll allow upgradability in the future.
Yes, unlikely, but one can hope! lol

 

[jicon]

I think I read somewhere some organizations needing to destroy drive contents after use were basically forced to drill holes through SSDs and logic boards instead of just removing the SSD... so... plus to the few orgs with a bit cleaner of an option now(?)

 

[_Spinn_]

Well this is disappointing but not exactly surprising.

 

[mabhatter]

Not watched the video. But for the Mac Pro they needed to be paired again with the controller. This was done with the Apple configurator and another Mac. Maybe the same needs to be done.

Another YouTuber already mentioned that pairing is probably required. Not like Apple is going to sell them separately or that they're standard SSD pinouts anyway.

I wonder what the module sizes are? I'd guess they are 512GB, 1TB, and 4TB because then Apple could just put two modules in for 2TB & 8 TB.

 

[vtrautia]

They just gave middle finger to the users. Priority number one is the shareholder wallet security. Customer comes second.

 

[Cameront9]

Did not expect this to work given the T2 chip. I think it was pretty dumb that Miani didn't mention that.

 

[00001000bit]

You can think of what Apple are offering in the same way. You want to use the whole Apple system, you have to pay for how much use you get out of it. Somebody with more RAM/CPU/Storage is getting more use, so it's fair that they pay more.

So, by that logic, if someone with more sense than money buys a higher end Mac, but only uses it for Youtube and Facebook - Apple will issue them a refund, since they aren't getting "more use" out of it?

 

[justperry]

Not convinced yet, there might be ways to do it yourselves, like inputting a certain command.
Didn’t see him resetting SMC nor PRAM, probably not working but Luke could have tried.
Also didn’t try to start up from an external disk.

 

[justperry]

Sorry, how is this modular?

All the ports are modular, including the power connector.

 

[Orange Bat]

I generally don’t get too upset about not being able to upgrade my Mac. I generally keep and use them for 5 years then just buy a new machine, which is better than piecemeal upgrades for me. However, I hate when Apple blocks a potential upgrade path “because…” As others have said, it’s just greed. Why not let people upgrade if/when they want if it’s already available to do so? It’s so stupid and outright hostile to their customers.

 

[jackoverfull]

So once again Luke Miani spreads false and incomplete information to get some outrage going for his personal gain. And it totally works, judging from the comments. Hard to believe that he, with all his might, doesn’t know a thing about how iBoot works and DFU mode.

 

[NapoleonIV]

I've done this many times and use Internet Recovery to initialize the drive and install Mac OS. But those were in the good days when the hard drives were user accessible (like the 2012 MBPs).

Internet recovery won't load if there is no efi partition on an internal drive. Just in case anybody reading this gets the wrong idea. If you truly wipe a drive, and I mean truly wipe it, not just reformat it, you will not be able to boot ANYTHING if it is the only drive connected to your Mac. I'm not sure whether apple silicon uses efi, but the same principle applies to iBoot, although it is apparently possible to connect another device and restore the computer, which is an improvement compared to Intel Macs.

 

[WWPD]

You lost me at YouTuber.

 

[Manzanito]

Make customers pay for the cost of the port, then ban them from using it. What can one say besides “apple”.

 

[HudsonSteele]

I’m sorry but this is crap. This is literally Apple forcing us to spend more money on something that shouldn’t cost more money. It’s one thing to design the hard drive to be soldered in, but to deny the person who owns the device the right to change it out it’s simply wrong.

 

[rfog]

I haven't seen the video yet, but did they tried to reinstall via DFU mode?

 

[idark77]

Despite being easily removable since it is not soldered down, the Mac Studio's SSD storage is not currently user-upgradeable due to a software block, YouTuber Luke Miani has discovered.

I had no doubt…

 

[djdj]

More than likely it's due to data encryption. Don't these have T2-based encryption as standard? The encryption keys from one computer wouldn't match those in another.

 

[erikkfi]

We at Apple believe that selling exclusive, high-cost upgrades and gatekeeping third-party options is the safest and most secure way to get more storage. You like safety and security, right? You wouldn’t force us to make our platforms UNSAFE, right, regulatory agencies?

 

[GadgetBen]

What a joke. Sort it out Apple.

 

[erikkfi]

Press release:

Apple renews their commitment to increasing the world’s future supply of eWaste by making a modular design non-upgradeable for all but their wealthiest customers.