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Mac Studio Storage Not User-Upgradeable Due to Software Block [Updated]
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Read my post above yours. Apple did not pull any stunt here. This news post is just based on an assumption from a YouTuber with zero technical knowledge about how Apple Silicon Macs boot and how hardware encrypted SSDs work.
People are used to finding aftermarket ways of doing things. And honestly, I don't think there is really anything inherently wrong with that. The entire computer industry has done this for decades. To Apple's credit, yes, the did inform people very plainly on the product page (and so people can't say they were bait and switched by it). But I still find it rather odd for a machine with non-soldered storage that starts at $2000 and that goes well into the $5000+ range. This machine isn't targeting the MacBook Air market. It's targeting pros.
Apple's greed knows no bounds. It is up to us the consumer to say "no" to this nonsense.
@ArkSingularity They are just claiming the storage is not upgradable because the power supply is in the way. If they made it official, they would get sued quickly by users getting shocked, touching the caps.
I am 100% sure you can get the storage replaced / upgraded in store later on. And I am also 100% sure that once Apple's self-service repair store goes online, you will be able to buy those modules yourself.
I am 100% sure you can get the storage replaced / upgraded in store later on. And I am also 100% sure that once Apple's self-service repair store goes online, you will be able to buy those modules yourself.
Ye$, Apple'$ doing thi$ for $ecurity.
And you can render your machine obsolete,... I meant recycle it for free!
Showing some kind of “I don’t recognize this key” error would be nice, sure.
It’s not a password, and you wouldn’t know the key. It’s generated by the secure enclave.
Yea, with that power supply being exposed, it's definitely not intended for the everyday joe to just open up and repair (which I'll add, is arguably still a conscious decision because the G4 cube was about the same size and was explicitly designed to be user serviceable). But I'll be satisfied if Apple does the right thing and opens up their tools to their authorized repair shops and to others who know what they're doing.
I'd feel differently if it were for the MacBook Air or one of the base level Pros. But once you're spending several thousand dollars on a computer, you are going to more or less expect it to last several years (and to not have to pay for an entirely new computer or logic board if the SSD starts having issues).
What the... Apple is not freaking doing anything. THEY ARE NOT preventing the SSD to be exchanged by Software... Don't you understand that. Luke Miani just did not understand how the stuff works and thus took wrong assumptions.
Apple modular means that you can just buy another Studio with the configuration you want.
Apple loves to say they are environmentally friendly expect they certainly aren't. Locking SSDs via software, locking screens from being replaced via software until that backlash, being forced to travel to an Apple store to change a bloody monitor stand, homepods with built in USB cables that can't be easily replaced, monitor with a proprietary power cable that is not really user replaceable and it goes on and on.
Apple has become a sodding joke when it comes to being environmentally friendly.
Apple has become a sodding joke when it comes to being environmentally friendly.
Exactly that's why the flash is socketed on the Mac Studio. To replace it if needed. Or even upgrade it.
And it's especially important with Apple Silicon, since those machine cannot boot from anything if the internal storage is broken or whatever. They need it for the firmware and they cannot directly boot from USB / TB drives. So if the internal storage is broken, the machine is bricked. For that reason I do hope they will go back to socketed modules on the MacBook Pros as well.
For you as well: Apple has not locked anything. Luke's video and this news is BS. They forgot / don't know the modules are encrypted and the Macs need an IPSW restore to work again.
Yes, all too often, the inflammatory articles get the best acton. Facts take a back seat to ratings, or clicks. Retractions and corrections can come after things die down. One YouTuber’s whim becomes the facts of the day. He’s probably getting lots of clicks too, even if he is just getting called out for conducting a poorly-conceived experiment. His next video will probably be using AC2 to get things working again.
Just because you own something doesn’t give you the right to dictate how it is made. Don’t buy it if you don’t like it.
In this case, Apple uses a Secure Enclave with unique keys. This is a security precaution that prevents someone from removing an SSD from my computer when they have physical access, decrypting it away from the computer, and replacing it. Since an SSD from another computer is encrypted with the keys from that other computer’s Secure Enclave, of course it can’t be used by the new computer. This makes perfect sense and is a good thing. If you want to do this sort of thing you need to use DFU mode from another computer, etc., etc., which I notice is not something that this person tried.
Precisely. So this is not simple ignorance, he’s doing great damage with the only goal of gaining views.
It doesn't matter if you wipe efi parititon or not. You will be greeted with a question mark in the worst case, not crazy beeps
As an IT guy, I really like user-replaceable things. I've had to replace an entire device way too many times just because one part died. While Apple's tight integration might help with speed and making things thin, it makes repairing it a pain in the neck.
For some reason, Apple saying that it's non-replaceable reminds me of the 802.11n wifi in the early Intel-Mac days. It was 802.11n hardware, but Apple only advertised as 802.11g(?). So to enable 'n' speeds, you had to pay Apple $4.99 for software to unlock the full functionality.
Why? Because some youtuber didn’t go into DFU and install like he was supposed to, you blame apple?
Yeah, but in this case it's an entirely different thing. It simply has to do with legal reasons as I wrote before. Users getting zapped by the PSU would quickly sue Apple. So replacements and upgrades will officially only be done in store, plus maybe yourself via the self-service repair store that Apple is working on.
Why are people surprised by this? the Apple of Steve Jobs is long gone and this is the result of the Tim Crook era... he's a glorified marketing & logistics person, he has no engineering or technical background.
Apple Silicon Macs don't use UEFI / EFI. They use iBoot and the largest part of it is stored on the SSD. That's why those machines won't do anything except blinking and DFU restore if the SSD is wiped. You can get deeper knowledge here if you like: https://github.com/AsahiLinux/docs/wiki/Introduction-to-Apple-SiliconIt doesn't matter if you wipe efi parititon or not. You will be greeted with a question mark in the worst case, not crazy beeps