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I'm a lot less worried about Apple closing off alternate operating systems than I am about not being able to replace the SSD when it inevitably dies. I'd dearly
by flyinghamster 4y ago
I'm a lot less worried about Apple closing off alternate operating systems than I am about not being able to replace the SSD when it inevitably dies. I'd dearly love a Mac Studio, but not if it's guaranteed to become an expensive paperweight for lack of serviceability. I routinely keep computers 10+ years, and unless Apple's SSD can last that long without babying it to a ridiculous degree, it's a non-starter.
As someone who grew up with an Apple II+, this "no user serviceable parts inside" mentality has infuriated me about Apple since 1984, so this is nothing new. I've long wanted to love Apple products, but that footgun just has to come out.
But I'll give Apple a great deal of credit that they have (even if unofficially) helped rather than hindered the Asahi project. Make a Mac that uses off-the-shelf SSDs at the very least (RAM is a second rant), and I'd be in "shut up and take my money" mode.
- OleksiiA 4y agoSome kind of workaround for this might be an external bootable SSD, with 40 Gbp/s theoretical bandwidth there should be no limitation from that side at least. Just create a bootable SSD before this machine's SSD dies
- philistine 4y agoArm Macs require the internal hard drive to boot. It loads its booting sequence from the drive, even if it is set to default to an external drive for its OS.
- pram 4y agoThe Studio actually has removable NAND cards though, like the Mac Pro.
- flyinghamster 4y agoThat's good to hear, at least, and it made me look deeper. It's not your standard SSD, but it is replaceable, with caveats. In particular, don't expect your SSD to boot in someone else's Mac unless you wipe it. Still, this a much more palatable proposition than soldered-in storage. Just be sure you get the RAM you need, because there's no upgrading it. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/03/explaining-the-mac-studios-removable-ssds-and-why-you-cant-just-swap-them-out/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/03/explaining-the-mac-s...
- GeekyBear 4y agoThe flash controller for the Studio is integrated onto the SOC instead of being a separate chip on the NAND card. So that's different.