Replaceable SSDs coming for new Apple Mac mini
The new Mac mini is now here with Apple M4 (curr. $579.99 on Amazon) and M4 Pro processors. As we have discussed previously, Apple has overhauled the design of its mini-PC this time around, although that has resulted in an unusual power button position.
Moreover, it turns out that the latest model supports removable storage, unlike previous Apple M-based models. Thus, the new Mac mini is more like the Mac Studio in this regard. Unfortunately, Apple continues to rely upon proprietary storage mediums rather than a conventional M.2 2230 or M.2 2280 SSD.
While it is possible to provide the new Mac mini with more storage, it is a technically involved process. Potentially, that will not always be the case, though. Recently, Polysoft Services introduced the first set of third-party drives for the Mac Studio, details of which we have covered separately.
In short, these 'Studio Drive' SSDs are incompatible with the latest Mac mini. PolySoft Services plans to support the new mini-PC eventually, though. Despite not providing a timeline for a release, it has issued the following statements so far online:
Now let's talk about last week's surprise: like everyone else, we were delighted to discover that the new Mac mini M4 offers a replaceable SSD module up to 2TB, and that the Mac mini M4 Pro offers a replaceable SSD module up to 8TB.
These modules are physically different from each other, and also different from our Mac Studio M1 and M2 modules, but they're almost identical electronically, so we're already planning to work on them, benefiting from our work on the Mac Studio modules!
Priority will obviously be to deliver modules for the Mac Studio, but we're already starting work on the Mac mini M4 modules.
It's still a little early to say for sure, but we'll most likely be launching another campaign for SSD modules for Mac mini M4 and M4 Pro when we will have a working prototype for those models!
Source(s)
Kickstarter, Quinn Nelson - Image credit
