This $7000 Mac had TWO USB ports.....
Following the introduction of the Apple silicon Mac Pro, Apple today added SSD upgrade kits to its online store. The kits offer 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB of storage space for $1,000, $1,600, and $2,800, respectively.
The kits feature two 1TB SSDs, two 2TB SSDs, or two 8TB SSDs, and replace the existing internal SSD storage of the Mac Pro.
The hardware is compatible only with the new 2023 Mac Pro machines that use Apple's M2 Ultra chips.
The kits can be ordered starting today, with delivery dates starting on June 9.
Article Link: New Mac Pro Features Upgradeable SSD, Apple Selling 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB SSD Kits
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New Mac Pro Features Upgradeable SSD, Apple Selling 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB SSD Kits
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They were proprietary in the older MacBooks also and you could buy a $20 adapter to make a normal m.2 SSD work.
Apple Inches formward then stumbles over its own feet. Pci 4.0..... 10 year old tech?
It’s cool that they install with a plugin. That means that other companies are going to make them and they will not cost so much. Think OWC as a first company.
This pricing certainly leaves a lot of room for third parties to undercut, which I guess is good news
To those complaining about pricing, this is not consumer hardware. This is workstation hardware. Workstations have always been priced like this. You just never paid attention because Sun and DEC didn’t have the same exposure to the consumer market that Apple does.
For the consumers, you can have a Mac Mini or Studio and add a USBC drive.
For the consumers, you can have a Mac Mini or Studio and add a USBC drive.
Following the introduction of the Apple silicon Mac Pro, Apple today added SSD upgrade kits to its online store. The kits offer 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB of storage space for $1,000, $1,600, and $2,800, respectively.
The kits feature two 1TB SSDs, two 2TB SSDs, or two 8TB SSDs, and replace the existing internal SSD storage of the Mac Pro.
The hardware is compatible only with the new 2023 Mac Pro machines that use Apple's M2 Ultra chips.
The kits can be ordered starting today, with delivery dates starting on June 9.
Article Link: New Mac Pro Features Upgradeable SSD, Apple Selling 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB SSD Kits
This is not a consumer product. This is workstation hardware. Workstations have always been priced like this. You just never paid attention because Sun and DEC didn’t have the same exposure to the consumer market that Apple does.
For the consumers, you can have a Mac Mini or Studio and add a USBC drive.
PCIe is a standard, just like USB and WiFi. In other words, it demands interoperability. There's no reason these won't work with the new Mac Pros, although I'll concede we won't have proof-positive until people get their hands on one and start testing.
I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts they'll work, though.
Not sure how wise this approach is. It's evident that Apple is going proprietary to force Mac Pro users to get high-margin NVMe drives directly from Apple. It's a genuine lock-in approach. But with the Mac Studio, I can't see how this won't push many potential Mac Pro users to opt for the Mac Studio instead. And considering the price premium for the Mac Pro when compared to the Mac Studio when opting for the same Apple M2 Ultra SoC and the same amount of RAM, Apple surely is making way more per Mac Pro sold compared to the Mac Studio.
Ultimately, I'm not sure this will end in a net positive for Apple if enough users that would typically opt for the Mac Pro end up going with the Mac Studio. In the end, Apple doesn't care, I suppose—still a rather strange choice.
Ultimately, I'm not sure this will end in a net positive for Apple if enough users that would typically opt for the Mac Pro end up going with the Mac Studio. In the end, Apple doesn't care, I suppose—still a rather strange choice.
Well, my boss will definitely be happy about this! I've mentioned before he is not a fan of how most modern Macs have the SSDs soldered to the motherboard. Even though it'll probably be another couple years before we get any Apple Silicon Macs (right now, schools and institutions and such are still sending us their older Intel Macs to be recycled or resold, most likely as they upgrade to Apple Silicon Macs).
Hahaha. This is more offensive than not allowing upgrades.
I wonder how big the market is for these pro machines.
A lot of the people I know who truly need big drives and super speed do their Adobe work etc. on a Windows machine, then turn to their macbook air, also on their desk, to do most everything else.
I wonder how big the market is for these pro machines.
A lot of the people I know who truly need big drives and super speed do their Adobe work etc. on a Windows machine, then turn to their macbook air, also on their desk, to do most everything else.
If you’re “pushed” into the Studio, then that’s what you already actually needed.
The Pro is the Studio with PCIe. There is no performance difference from the Ultra Version of the studio.
I honestly think Apple is trying to basically kill the MacPro as soon as they can.
I think that type of product is just simply a vestige of the past that they don’t want to really be dealing with come five years from now
Today's release was just to finally be "off Intel" ... now they can focus on squeezing as many MP users onto Studio's and/or other solutions so they can zero in on selling all and only tightly controlled, very high margin, "appliances"
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Only $400 for wheeels!
Following the introduction of the Apple silicon Mac Pro, Apple today added SSD upgrade kits to its online store. The kits offer 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB of storage space for $1,000, $1,600, and $2,800, respectively.
The kits feature two 1TB SSDs, two 2TB SSDs, or two 8TB SSDs, and replace the existing internal SSD storage of the Mac Pro.
The hardware is compatible only with the new 2023 Mac Pro machines that use Apple's M2 Ultra chips.
The kits can be ordered starting today, with delivery dates starting on June 9.
Article Link: New Mac Pro Features Upgradeable SSD, Apple Selling 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB SSD Kits
Yeah… apple is doing another proprietary memory System. Damn. Want a standard I can buy from a multitude of sources. nuts!
With all Macs since the T2 chip was introduced the SSDs have been raw SSD chips with the actual hardware controllers built into the T2 on Intel Macs and directly into the M1 and M2 series. The security functionality locks down the boot drive from being swapped out, hence why it's very difficult to upgrade the boot SSD on a 2019 Intel Mac Pro, and why the modular SSDs on the Mac Studio can't be easily swapped out - it gets blocked but he security software.
Most users would be better off popping in an NMVe to PCIe 4.0 adapter card and then popping in a high quality M.2 NMVe SSD and keeping the default SSD as the system/app drive.
Most users would be better off popping in an NMVe to PCIe 4.0 adapter card and then popping in a high quality M.2 NMVe SSD and keeping the default SSD as the system/app drive.
Hate to break it to you but Sun and DEC are long dead. Even workstations now typically use commodity hardware.
So, yeah, if you buy a branded "workstation grade" SSD expansion from - say - HP - you will be royally gouged - but in most cases you could just buy a M.2. stick and plug it in. I have an old HP "micro server" which were being off cheap years back & the "official" plug-in hard drive modules were $youmustbekidding - but not only could you fit a regular hard drive in the existing sled. you could get cheap no-name empty sleds on Amazon.
Problem with the Apple SSD situation is that the modules are (a) proprietary and (b) probably can't be cloned by third parties "because security" (AFAIK the Apple Configurator won't accept unofficial parts and without that they won't work) - although with the MP you'll probably be able to use M.2 to PCIe adapter cards as long as the MP has official SSD modules installed in the main slot.
The other question is how much these things actually cost if you have a business contract with the supplier. As you say, they're not consumer products, so retail isn't the main sales channel - you have your people talk to their people and haggle.
Apple used to have expandable tower Macs that were accessible to "prosumers" and you can certainly get affordable PC PCIe towers retail. I think the need for massive upgradeability is receding - even RAM and storage requirements aren't doubling every year the way they did in the "good old days".
Typo in the article should read 2 x 4TB for $2800, not 2 x 8TB.
I was hoping Apple would announce a 16 TB option today (2 x 8).
I wonder if the SSD is significantly faster in the M2 Ultra MP.
And I wonder what the practical speed of OWC's Accelsior 8M2 add-in card is, now that the MP has PCIE 4.0 slots.
Missing rob-ART right now.
I was hoping Apple would announce a 16 TB option today (2 x 8).
I wonder if the SSD is significantly faster in the M2 Ultra MP.
And I wonder what the practical speed of OWC's Accelsior 8M2 add-in card is, now that the MP has PCIE 4.0 slots.
Missing rob-ART right now.
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Because people need expandable AND standard?
If Sony allows for M.2 storage in their tightly-controlled closed gaming platform, then there is absolutely no reason Apple could not.
Well, yeah they aren’t the only company that produces 2TB, 4TB and 8TB SSD’s. Somehow users will magically find a way to compare and despair.
Plus USB-C is over 9 years old, and the power grid it requires… you don’t even wanna KNOW how old THAT is.
Yeah. They have to use up those cases before killing it.