Mac Studio’s removable SSD is said to have been blocked by Apple at the software level

An interesting secret was revealed in Apple’s new Mac Studio over the weekend: it really happened Removable SSD Storage. But a later video from YouTuber Luke Miani It reveals that Mac Studio still can’t be upgraded: not because of hardware limitations, but because Apple appears to be prohibiting the replacement of SSDs at the software level, Across Apple Track.

Unlike all other Apple M1 computers, Mac Studio storage is not soldered to the motherboard, such as disassemble max tech Over the weekend discovered. Accessing the SSD is a tricky business, which involves removing the rubber ring at the bottom of the device, unscrewing the board, and pulling out the unprotected power supply. But as it turns out, expandable SSD hardware slots are down the drain: even if it’s you maybe Disassemble Mac Studio to access it, it appears that Apple is blocking any additional storage or swap space at the software level.

Which ultimately means that no, you won’t be able to escape Apple’s expensive SSD sales for extra storage, even if you’re willing to take apart your entire PC to do so.

It follows Apple’s official line: “The user cannot access Mac Studio storage,” the company notes on the Mac Studio product page. “If you think you may need more storage in the future, consider configuring to higher storage.”

But my problem here is not necessarily that Mac Studio as it exists now is not user-upgradable. It’s the philosophy that Apple has taken to get to this point.

Because Mac Studio Do It contains removable hard drives. Nothing about Apple’s design here entails choosing to bury it behind rubber sheets and a potentially dangerous power supply or lock it down at the software level.

But Apple has made an active choice to make upgrading Mac Studio’s internal storage impossible. Whether it’s hoping to discourage end users from ripping through their computers in search of cheaper SSD upgrades or because it wants to push customers to its pricier options (which, due to their non-fungible nature, implicitly urges you to buy more up front, lest they get caught with too little After the fact) – both options do not reflect well on the company.

It’s true that Mac Studio makes it very difficult for customers to access SSD slots in the first place, but this also Apple’s choice. This is not a laptop, tablet, or even a super-slim All-in-One like the M1 iMac. It’s a desktop computer, which supposedly could have offered expandable storage at the cost of a slightly larger chassis.

picture: Luke Meani

Nor can Apple make the argument it has for things like standardized memory, which offer tangible advantages by not offering a user-replaceable component: hard drives here are Previously removable. Apple prevents studio owners from doing this themselves.

We know Apple can do it too: it’s already doing it for 2019 Mac Prowhich happily sells new hard drives for users to open at their leisure. (Hopefully, the trend you’ll follow with the Apple Silicon-powered Mac Pro that it sparked will continue in the future, too.)

But choosing to limit Mac Studio here so much is ultimately a shame. It’s a professional machine, and it would be nice to see Apple treat it that way rather than locking it into the same pre-built box that many of the company’s other recent computers have done. And you won’t need to spend $5,999 on a Mac Pro just to be able to upgrade your desktop’s storage in 2022.