Assuming Apple doesn't sue them into oblivion ...
Affordable Third-Party Mac Studio Storage Upgrades Coming in 2025
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French company Polysoft has successfully reverse-engineered
Apple's proprietary storage modules for the Mac Studio and plans
to offer more affordable upgrade options starting in January 2025,
following a successful Kickstarter campaign.
The company's "Studio Drive" modules will be available in 2TB,
4TB, and 8TB capacities, with pricing starting at €399 ($420) for
2TB, €799 ($843) for 4TB, and €1,099 ($1,158) for 8TB - roughly
half of what Apple charges for comparable storage upgrades at the
time of purchase. Unlike traditional SSDs used in PCs, Apple's
storage modules require specialized engineering because the actual
storage controller is built into the M1 and M2 chips rather than
being part of the removable module.
To develop compatible modules, Polysoft conducted extensive
reverse engineering, sacrificing an original Apple module for
detailed analysis. The company removed all its small components
one by one using a laser station, inventoried them and measured
their characteristics, then scanned every layer with a flatbed
scanner. From this work, the company then made its own schematics
and designed different boards, using the same Kioxia and Hynix TLC
NAND chips as Apple's original modules to ensure compatibility and
performance.
Polysoft has also added what it calls "RIROP" (Rossmann Is Right
Overvoltage Protection), a safety feature designed to prevent data
loss from potential voltage regulator failures - an issue the
company says it has encountered when repairing certain MacBook Pro
models.
As noted by The Verge, this development may have exciting
implications beyond the Mac Studio. Recent teardowns have revealed
that Apple's new M4 Mac mini also uses removable storage modules -
potentially opening the door for similar upgrade solutions in the
future. While the Mac mini's modules use a different design than
the Mac Studio's, Polysoft's breakthrough in reverse-engineering
Apple's storage architecture suggests that affordable storage
upgrades might eventually become possible for Mac mini users too.
Just like with the Mac Studio, Apple's security system in the
Mac mini encrypts storage using a unique identifier tied to each
Mac's chip, meaning any storage upgrade requires a complete
system reset using Apple's Configurator software to re-encrypt the
drive for use with the new machine. Polysoft says it will provide
detailed installation instructions for hardware enthusiasts and
professionals wanting to upgrade their Mac Studio, including the
necessary steps for properly initializing new storage modules with
Apple's security system. For further details, see Polygon's
Kickstarter campaign page.
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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/polysoftservices/studio-drive>
<
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/12/05/company-breaks-apple-storage-monopoly-mac-studio/>
[NEWS] Upgradeable storage for Mac Studio (and new Mac Mini?)