> The most compelling reason for connecting external storage to a Mac is for backups using Time Machine (or other backup software). As no M1 series Mac supports

> The most compelling reason for connecting external storage to a Mac is for backups using Time Machine (or other backup software). As no M1 series Mac supports adding internal storage suitable for those backups, the choice is locally attached or networked. In what world is internal storage appropriate for a backup? A backup should always be locally attached or networked with an offsite copy. You can buy a NAS from Synology with 4 TB storage for about $ 500. Which allows you to do TimeMachine backups. > Third-party NAS systems suitable for Time Machine are also limited by Apple’s deprecation of AFP, and at least one major manufacturer appears to be dropping Mac support as a result. TimeMachine should work perfectly fine over SMB and SMB is the protocol recommended by Synology for example. So this shouldn't be a limiting factor at all. I don't think Apple or NAS vendors are going to drop SMB support anytime soon.