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Transcend Announces 1TB JetDrive Lite 330 Expansion Card for 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro
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Yeah, it would definitely be nice to have it module-based for the whole M1 family, even if it isn't standard NVMe. That said, year-over-year storage size growth has plateaued almost completely in the last decade (with improvements mostly focused on storage speed) so it's a different ballgame than it was in 2004 or 2008 (this is the base storage for all Mac SKUs offered since 1984):
Even for 2011 computers, the most common reason people upgrade the hard drive is to get and SSD speed boost rather than increased capacity: unless you're a high-def content creator, file sizes haven't changed much in the past 15 years and streaming services have reduced a lot of pressures that used to be on internal storage. I upgraded my ThinkPad X220 from a 320 GB HDD to a 128 GB SSD and somehow made due with that capacity until last year!
Since I doubt we're going to see a fundamental shift in technology like that again in the next decade, and I doubt the average person's storage demands are going to shift much in that same timeframe, user-upgradable storage isn't going to be as important to the long-term usability of current Macs like it was for ones from 2000-2013.
Huh, I actually didn't know that! I know Apple's used weird semi-proprietary SSD connectors on various Macs since ~2011, but I didn't realize they started actually soldering storage that long ago. Regardless, they may not have had a legitimate technical reason then, but they sort of have one now (at least a reason for not using traditional NVMe, they could still presumably make raw flash modules on a similar card).
Funny thing about that: Apple didn't have to do a U-turn 5 years later and bring back floppies, ADB and Localtalk. Yet, 5 years after Apple going all-USB-C and dropping SD from MacBooks, here we are.
Turns out the trick of "skating to where the puck is going" rather depends on guessing right about where the puck is going. The problem is, it took Apple so many years to accept that the 2016 MacBook Pro was a mistake... it's not that a SD reader and HDMI are cutting edge for 2022, it's that they shouldn't have gone away in 2016.
They do for the Mac Studio and Intel Mac Pro (in which the SSD controller is on the T2 chip so it uses raw flash like the M1). Unlike the LPDDR RAM, I don't think there's any technical advantage to soldering in flash - I guess there's just a critical number of the highest-spec SSD options you have to sell above which soldering them in becomes cheaper than using modules.
Sure, but then you've got this thing dangling off your laptop. Fine if it's just sitting on your desk permanently, or only need the data occasionally. These cards sit permanently, flush inside the Mac, which is a very nice advantage if you're portable, and for data you need to access regularly, but not particularly at high speed. Keep in mind that those speeds are well and truly fast enough to play 4K video straight off the card.
It's not the mm they are chasing. It's the eye watering Apple Tax markup on RAM and SSD upgrades. Pure, unadulterated, greed.
Sure, you're right. But what about in 2 years time when your SSD needs grow and you're running out of space? Sell your laptop and buy a new one? Sure, it's a genuine option, especially if you've got business tax advantages of doing so. But if not... instead you could buy one of these cards to dump your music and movie collection on (or anything else that doesn't need the high speeds to play), and free up the space. I also just ordered a 16" M1 MBP w 2TB (to replace my champion 2015 15" MBP w 1TB (self upgraded from 512GB, ah, those were the days)), which is enough for now, but could see myself buying one of these cards down the track. And by then, a 2TB card might be available for the same $250 as the 1TB is now.
Doubling down are you? Cool. I own 3 t7s. With the fingerprint security that means i dont have to password protect it, can use it with an iPad, but still have it protected.
While two dimensions, height and width are similar to a credit card, the thickness is maybe 10x more. But not the point is it? Internal versus external is the point. The need to connect and disconnect (t7) or not (transcend) is the point.
Do you own any of the above? Not the point. The point is some people accept the cost/read write speed for pure internal tranportabilty. You don’t. Go you. Choice is wonderful. That’s the point.
Fair enough. I own a T5 and T7. For those who really value internal storage I would've assumed they just paid to get a larger storage option from Apple, esp since the cost for an extra TB of NVMe is within shooting distance of what this card sells for.
I bought one for the sole purpose of backing up my iPhone and iPad. It has always annoyed me that these backups use a combined 200-300 GB of my precious internal storage and this is a great way for me to free up the space. Since I always take my iPhone with me even if the laptop stays at home, it‘s the only backup of it I need (in the case my laptop is being stolen, for example, I still have the phone and vice versa). Everything else stays on my internal drive and gets backupped to a fast external SSD.
Except in all those cases, Apple didn't make the change till it was clear their choice was the "right" choice. There's no data showing that CF Express will ever surpass or even come close to the ubiquity of SD cards.
Does anyone know if the problems with these cards not being available after your MacBook sleeps has been fixed?
I think I could find it useful to be able to have an always onboard TimeMachine-able storage device that’s not as expensive nor wasting ultra fast speeds for that.
For that use, what do you guys think? Is it $250 for 1TB a fair price? (For a non BTO MacBook 14” that is also 1TB internal).
Cons: SD Card slot is basically lost. But I never use it.
You say it as if people don’t want lighter and thinner computers - and you say it in a time where they *added* a few mm to their MBPs.
There are many reasons why upgradeability is not a thing for the past decade and longer, and there are certain benefits to this approach. I find it odd that this is a thing in 2022.
Also security and performance but who cares about that?
Excellent point… my specific use case is client specific data and sometimes I prefer not to carry around dongles. Plus, and this is embarrassing to admit, release day of the 16 pro I could either walk in to the store and walk out with the 1 tb model, or order and wait 2-3 months ?
No known UHS-3 cards and SD express would kill it before it got of the ground. It is unlikely SD Express or faster SD will take off now that CF Express is taken hold. The things that don’t need CF Express can make do with internal storage or UHS-1 and 2 cards. SD Express has a major downside in that the PCIe pins replace the pins that would allow it backward compatibility with UHS-2 meaning you would end up with 80 MB/s transfers on your legacy readers and devices at best.
Yes, and no. Yes for all the drives, including the Samsung T7 with built in fingerprint unlocking, BUT..if you want to use the T7’s built in (versus on the mac) fingerprint unlocking you MUST use the Samsung software. I used to think this is a gimmick, but I now have two use cases… when I want to share data but not my password, or when I want to use data with my iPad Pro which currently does not allow me to put in passwords but does work with fingerprint unlocking.
You answered the question yourself.
This is a not product for those who think an external dongle is ok. It's for those who will gladly pay double the price for something that sit flush in your Mac, and doesn't think write speed is crucial. Is it that hard to imagine people having different needs and use cases?
As I wrote above, I would've expected those who value or need large amounts of internal storage to just opt for a higher NVMe storage tier when they purchased their Mac.
If you can afford one of these device, presumably you're well-off or need it to generate income. So I'd agree with your assessment. If it is to generate income, I'd assume that performance matters or else why would you get an M1 Pro/Max?
Well I bought a Mac Studio (Max) and immediately supplemented it with a 2TB thunderbolt attached SSD, reaching 2.5GB/s transfer rate, roughly on par with the internal storage. It cost me less than a third of Apples offering, (which would have been preferable to me if price would have been equal, even though having the storage detachable has its upsides too). So in my case Apple simply lost the storage sale and associated profit completely. As I wrote earlier, I think they would stand to gain in a lot of ways by rethinking their policies on this.
I have a Samsung T3 attached to my mini and that works fine. I'll just get a larger external if I need more space.
