MacBooks have been long reviled for their soldered components, which makes upgrading any storage/memory component virtually impossible. The same holds for Apple's newly-released M1 MacBooks and Mac Mini. Then again, several Windows laptops such as Microsoft Surfacebooks also come with soldered RAM, so it isn't just Apple doing it.
A few Chinese modders discovered a rather simple workaround for the soldered parts conundrum on their M1 Mac Mini. Apparently, all one needs is a desoldering station, steady hands, and loads of patience. The modders successfully managed to upgrade the 8GB module on an M1 Mac Mini to 16GB, and the 256GB NVMe SSD with a 1TB version without any hiccups. How they managed to get it past Apple's 'secure enclave' is anybody's guess. However, the modder's success will likely be short-lived. Once Apple gets wind of their transgressions, it will almost certainly prevent such modifications via a future software update.
This isn't the first time such an endeavour has been attempted, though. Many intrepid modders have gone down this path before, such as YouTube content creator Strange Parts, who successfully managed to upgrade his iPhone 6s' storage from 16GB to 128GB with relative ease. Although the process is tedious and time-consuming, it is doable. However, this is the first time someone has bested an M1 Mac Mini. Are M1 MacBooks immune to such treachery? Only time will tell.
Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! Wanted:
- News Writer (Romania based)
Details here
Chinese maintenance engineers can already expand the capacity of the Apple M1. The 8GB memory has been expanded to 16GB, and the 256GB hard drive has been expanded to 1TB. pic.twitter.com/2Fyf8AZfJR
— DuanRui (@duanrui1205) April 4, 2021