Can the SSD in the 2012 Macbook Air 13" be user replaced? I would love a 512GB SSD, but I could get one cheaper than the $500 Apple charges. Thanks!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Swap 2012 SSD?
- Thread starter adamvk
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
No. Well, not yet anyway. OWC allegedly will have a compatible chip out at some point in the not-too-distant future but, that said, I don't think you'll save as much cash as you think.
You mean hating apple for going from 3G to 6G SSDs? You don't want a faster SSD? Apparently they changed the connector to accommodate for 6G.
If moving at all, please move away from stupid comments.
Yes, according to my understanding it was. I guess the 6G SSDs for the 2011 MBA does not actually run at 6G. This is my understanding from reading the forums carefully. Haven't tested myself.
Nope, the ones included by apple don't run at 6G but 3G, but the ones OWC sells you run at 6G.
It might be power related, but it's still weird they changed it, it seems to be the same as in the retina macbook pro though, which does have higher sizes (768GB) which might require more power than the old design could deliver, but still weird.
Of course there is a good reason, Apple would not change something for the sake of changing and to consumers angry. Changing for the sake of changing only costs money and don't add to consumer benefits, thus Apple engineers would refrain from it, as engineers from most companies.
It seems that way, but another viewpoint is that they keep a tight control on their hardware so they can guarantee a positive interaction with their software and with the end user.
I'm not a particular fan of this approach but I can certainly appreciate it.
Yep, agree. It certainly fits in with their philosophy of integrating everything so that there's as few problems as possible - one of the reasons that I bought a 201 MBP and love it. From an end user point of view though, it does make the machines much more expensive.
Really? So this seemingly arbitrary change from a year ago also had a good reason other to make it more difficult to self-service your computer: http://blog.macsales.com/10146-apple-further-restricts-upgrade-options-on-new-imacs#more-10146
Note the above change was done without any form-factor changes. There was not more room needed for something. The previous revision which was physically identical did not have this limitation. This was not done to increase the speed of the drive either (as it was a spinning disk drive that doesn't benefit from 6G) What other reasonable explanation could there be?
This situation with the 2012 MBA is similar. You didn't need the wider connector for 6G. There was no radical form factor change. It was change for the sake of making self-service more difficult.
Yes, Apple doesn't want you self servicing anything, especially if it is going to void the warranty. And the problem with this is....?
Yes, Apple doesn't want you self servicing anything, especially if it is going to void the warranty. And the problem with this is....?
There are several problems with this, but by far the biggest is what do you do after the waranty has expired?
We can't assume that EVERYONE buys AppleCare. Totally unscientific polls on this site show that 40-60% MacRumors readers buy AppleCare (look in the forum, this seems to be polled about once a month in some category). That leaves many computers without warrantee after only one year.
Components fail. It's not a matter of 'if', it's a matter of 'when'. Sure, SSDs are far more reliable than spinning disk drives, and generally the vast majority of the time all components outlast the useful life of the computer, but there are still tons of examples of component failure. What is a user to do in that case?
It's also really hard to justify the reasoning by saying they did it to keep things small, to keep the laptop thin, etc. The 15" Samsung Series 9 is thinner than the newest rMBP and has both standard replaceable SSD and RAM. Several ultrabooks (some thinner than an MBA) also use self-serviceable components.
Apple does this for one major reason: It causes more upsells and more sales later on. The user has no choice but to pay $100 for an upgrade to 8GB (something which costs $40 on newegg) and then leaving them no option but to buy a new machine a few years later when they need 16GB.
All that said... I still buy Apple, but I don't like the direction they're going in.
I agree with you, but you say this like it's a bad thing.
I don't like it either. But it is what it is. I can protest and go buy a Samsung, or I can swallow hard and buy the Air every year. I chose to do the latter. I am just spoiled rotten now that I've had a MBA for 9 months. Can't see going back.
Another suggestion for the change in connection to the mobo... could it be due to SATA III instead of SATA II? Or can you run it on the exact same connection in theory. I just dont believe that Apple change things for the sake of changing. It is just not worth the change, 2nd hand market will always catch up.
Secondly, many of you here believe that Apple does these changes to mess with you... You are most likely only a fraction of the consumers of a MBA, the vast majority dont care and would never open up the computer. They only want it to run well and without issues, thus that is what Apple focus on. If a fraction of the buyers go void the warranty (or do changes after warranty) is not a deal braker for the P&L of Apple.
However, I will stop arguing now. It is hard to break through the tinfoil hats...
Secondly, many of you here believe that Apple does these changes to mess with you... You are most likely only a fraction of the consumers of a MBA, the vast majority dont care and would never open up the computer. They only want it to run well and without issues, thus that is what Apple focus on. If a fraction of the buyers go void the warranty (or do changes after warranty) is not a deal braker for the P&L of Apple.
However, I will stop arguing now. It is hard to break through the tinfoil hats...
It might be done because of power draw on bigger ssd sizes (768GB) on the retina macbook pro, since it seems they both use the same connector if not the same exact form factor.
Another suggestion for the change in connection to the mobo... could it be due to SATA III instead of SATA II? Or can you run it on the exact same connection in theory. I just dont believe that Apple change things for the sake of changing. It is just not worth the change, 2nd hand market will always catch up.
Secondly, many of you here believe that Apple does these changes to mess with you... You are most likely only a fraction of the consumers of a MBA, the vast majority dont care and would never open up the computer. They only want it to run well and without issues, thus that is what Apple focus on. If a fraction of the buyers go void the warranty (or do changes after warranty) is not a deal braker for the P&L of Apple.
However, I will stop arguing now. It is hard to break through the tinfoil hats...
The 2011 Air is SATA III (6G). The only thing that makes sense so far is power draw, and standardization across lines, so the factory only has one kind of connector.
I don't really buy it. Although I'm not an electrical engineer (but I am a mechanical engineer) I do remember from my circuits class that you more need thicker wires for higher voltage to deal with the heat; how much power you draw (amperage) has less affect on wire diameter in practical purposes. Even then, it's only an issue on high-voltage stuff. Since everything inside a computer is standardized to 5V and SSDs draw less current than a spinning disk, I don't think power has anything to do with the different connector.
More so, it looks like the new connectors have more pins / wires. Odds are the extras are used for more temperature sensors, or other diagnostic-type data.
It's the other way around, it's the draw (amperage) that determines how thick you need your wires and not voltage.
SSDs can draw more than spinning disks specially when writing.