shamino
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New Mac mini has a slotted & removable SSD -- but don't expect upgrades
melgross said:I’m sure that if they think it’s warranted, OWC could figure out how to do this.
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the only problem would be as to whom would remove and replace the board?That's the big deal.In addition to the work to open and physically replace the module (not too hard on the M4 mini, from what I've seen so far), you need to initialize the modules using Configurator from another Mac. And the chips must be completely blank for this to work.This is the real problem with a company like OWC selling such a module:- They can only sell to those willing to do the work. Which, admittedly, has been the case for many of their upgrade kits.
- They can only sell to someone who has another recent Mac capable of running Configurator.
- They can't test the modules before shipping them, because once they write anything, Configurator will refuse to pair them with the new Mac. And returns can't be refurbished for resale. Which will make it hard to implement a reasonable warranty.
Which is why, IMO, this technique is going to remain within the realm of hobbyists and independent repair shops.Of course, Apple could release a version of Configurator capable of wiping a used flash module, which would solve the third (and IMO, the most difficult) problem. But I doubt they will, because it would also make it possible for thieves to sell parts from stolen Macs.
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New Mac mini has a slotted & removable SSD -- but don't expect upgrades
To date, Apple only replaces modules for repair service, and when they do, they will only replace your modules with the same size. They don't sell upgrades. But this is a business decision, not a technical limitation.Xed said:I wonder if this is more for removing storage to properly destroy it so the rest can be recycled in the normal fashion at EOL v making it upgradable or fixable.
It's unclear what that bus is. I think it is PCIe, but it is not NVMe, because there is no SSD controller. These boards are used for connecting the raw flash chips to the SSD controller logic built-in to the Apple Silicon SoC.elijahg said:It's almost certainly PCIE on a non-standard connector, like every Mac that has actually had a slotted SSD since about 2012. However, there may be a controller on the "blade" that has special Apple firmware.Rogue01 said:Unfortunately not. The security encryption would render any aftermarket board as useless. Apple made it require Apple specific boards and chips to work.Please go read earlier posts in the discussion thread. And note that at least one YouTuber has already performed an upgrade on the M4 mini, by replacing the flash chips (via microsoldering) on its storage module.Apple does use custom boards for their flash storage, but these are pretty simple devices and the ones used by the Mac Studio have already been reverse-engineered by the hacker community. The flash chips used on those boards are commodity and can be purchased from many sources.The flash chips are cryptographically paired with a Mac's processor, but the Configurator tool will create this pairing if you install completely blank (never-written) flash chips. What you can not do (at least not at this time) is completely erase a used flash module such that Configurator can pair it with a different Mac.So an independent repair shop with suitable skills can replace/upgrade storage on an Apple Silicon Mac, but the old chips they remove can never be used with any computer other than the one they came from.So far, it appears that there is no technical reason why an aftermarket storage upgrade board couldn't be made. You would need to initialize it via Configurator and another Mac, and I agree that most consumers won't be able to do that, but it is easily within the capability of a repair shop. -
New Mac mini has a slotted & removable SSD -- but don't expect upgrades
YP101 said:I don't think user upgradeable for storage anyway. This was same for Mac Studio.
Apple coded each storage for specific unit so user can't upgrade. Unless Apple change the way.Except that, as the hacker community discovered, if you use new (that is, never-been-written) flash chips, you can use Apple's Configurator 2 utility to initialize them and install macOS. This will set up the cryptographic pairing. You can't wipe used flash modules (e.g. to move storage from one Mac to another), but it does means that upgrades are possible.So far, we've just seen some people making bare circuit boards and you need the microsoldering skills necessary to attach new flash chips to those boards, but I think it's just a matter of time before someone starts selling boards with chips pre-installed. So even if end-user upgrades won't be practical, I think we will soon see independent repair shops that can do it.
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Apple presses on with headset that's an iPhone on your face
Yep. I built a Google Cardboard (this model no longer sold, but I paid $6 for it in 2021) device for my iPhone. It works great (as great as you can expect for $6) and is conceptually not very different from this patent application.Yes, the Apple patent is more than just a mounting bracket and lens system, but ultimately, it's just holding a phone in front of your face in order to provide a VR interface. The rest is just window dressing.
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Drivers love CarPlay as car infotainment systems get worse overall
Unfortunately, automakers have decided to integrate the "infotainment" features into the car's main computer. There is no longer a radio you can replace - it's all integrated with the rest of the computer's interface. If there's a discrete radio at all, it's going to be a bare-bones tuner and antenna, controlled by software on that computer.And this is why infotainment systems today are so bad. There's literally no competition. Back when you could rip out the GM (or Honda or Toyota or whatever) radio and replace it with a good one from Sony (or JVC or Pioneer or whatever), there was some competition. Radio manufacturers had to compete with each other, and customers would compare these aftermarket radios with factory radios (which were always significantly worse).But today, the manufacturers don't even have to pretend to care. It is physically impossible to replace what they give you, and they know it. So they'll install complete junk and either tell you to pound sand, or they'll offer an "upgrade" for several thousands of dollars in order to give you what you used to be able to buy for $300 from Best Buy or WalMart.Xed said:
Apple doesn't charge anything for CarPlay. I don't see how they could since the UI is in your iPhone and everything it run from your iPhone.rob53 said:Does anyone know how much Apple charges for CarPlay?There is still a proprietary communications protocol running over that USB or Bluetooth connection. Apple may require payment for access to its specification. There is probably a mandatory certification program for any product to use the "CarPlay" branding, which is probably not cheap. It is also likely that the firmware running in the car's radio is (in whole or in part) using library code licensed from Apple.Even if auto manufacturers are able to download a free spec and develop the software from scratch, it is highly unlikely that they actually will, since that development work would likely cost more than licensing software from Apple and hiring an Apple consultant to assist them with the integration.sflagel said:At some point, regulators will require to separate devices, UI and data, enabling car manufacturers (and others) to develop their own apps that have access to all the users data (appointments, contacts, music files, FB friends, etc). That’s when we will see real competition.Not likely to happen. The industry trend is in the exact opposite direction. Fewer and fewer components can be replaced at all, even by a skilled mechanic. And the government doesn't care.sflagel said:Does this mean that Tesla has access to iCloud to sync Contacts and Calendar? To be honest, that would be pretty nice.I don't know what Tesla, specifically, is doing, but the ability to sync contacts via Bluetooth is nothing new. We had a 2012 Kia Sedona do this as a part of its normal speakerphone integration, and without anything remotely resembling CarPlay either. It pulled the data from the phone via Bluetooth (not iCloud) as a part of the Bluetooth connect process. It did that so the car's built-in voice system for making calls could look up numbers. It worked remarkably well.
