Mac Studio SSD storage not user-upgradable due to software block

This is definitely interesting.

While the new Mac Studio’s SSD storage is easily removable given that it’s not soldered onto the logic board, it’s not currently user-upgradeable due to a software block, as discovered by YouTuber Luke Miani.

Each ‌Mac Studio‌ contains two internal SSD slots, and the SSDs themselves can be freely swapped between the connectors.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Maini noted that the SSD could be removed and inserted into an empty SSD slot in another ‌Mac Studio‌, but the Mac’s status light blinked SOS and would not boot.

The ‌Mac Studio‌ recognizes the SSD, but Apple’s software prevents it from booting, suggesting that this is a conscious decision by Apple to prevent users from upgrading their storage themselves. On its website, Apple claims that the ‌Mac Studio‌’s SSD storage is “not user accessible” and encourages users to configure the device with enough storage at the point of purchase.

It could be that the purpose of the easily replaceable storage would be to aid repairs by Apple Authorized technicians, who will likely have software tools that enable the ‌Mac Studio‌ to boot from different internal storage. Since the prevention of user-upgradeability appears to simply be due to a software block, Apple could enable users to upgrade their own storage in the future via an update.

It was originally impossible for users to manually upgrade the storage of the Mac Pro, but Apple went on to offer a kit to upgrade the Mac Pro’s storage in mid-2020, so a similar move for the ‌Mac Studio‌ is not out of the question, particularly given the announcement of Apple’s Self Service Repair Program.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors and YouTube