From www.digitaltrends.com

Thanks to a video posted on social media showing the inside of the new Mac mini, we now know it has modular storage and the 256GB base model uses two 128GB chips. This is good news for tech enthusiasts who were disappointed with the M2 Mac mini’s single 256GB chip since it caused slower SSD speeds.

Two chips allows for parallel reading and writing so jobs can get done faster, but it’s important to note that the difference isn’t noticeable for most day-to-day tasks. The problem only applied to 256GB models and was primarily a pain point for enthusiasts — but it’s still nice to know that Apple is willing to listen to customers sometimes (not always, though).

Partial teardown of M4 Mac Mini /w 16GB RAM & 256GB SSD. Interesting revealation: Wifi chip & antenna on the back of bottom air intake. SSD on a daughter board. And even the base 256GB version comes in two chips. No compromise in speed. Theoretically also end user upgradable. pic.twitter.com/vA2vQwkl7J

— HG 阿聻 𓆣 𓇽 (@ohgkg) November 8, 2024

The modular storage means that the chips aren’t soldered to the motherboard either, which almost sounds like users should be able to remove and replace them easily — but that’s not quite the case. While it’s easy to remove them, trying to swap them out for something else opens up a whole other can of worms.

To put it simply, Apple silicon SSDs aren’t self-contained devices like typical SSDs, so you can’t just swap it out and expect everything to work the same as before. Whether this reason is a good enough excuse for Apple’s terrible upgradability and repairability practices is another question, however.

The new Mac mini isn’t the first device to correct this mistake — the M3 MacBook Air also switched back to two chips instead of one — so it’s good to know the fix is happening across the Mac lineup.

Willow Roberts

Willow Roberts has been a Computing Writer at Digital Trends for a year and has been writing for about a decade. She has a…

The MacBook Air just got a surprise upgrade that everyone will love

The MacBook Air on a white table.

Apple announced an unexpected change to the current M2 and M3 MacBook Air today: more memory. Alongside the overarching bump to RAM in base configurations of the M4 iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro, Apple also announced that the 8GB versions of the M2 and M3 MacBook Air have also been removed from the lineup.

Starting today, the M2 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Air will both have 16GB as the starting configuration. But here’s the kicker: Apple isn’t raising prices. That means if you’d spent $1,199 on an M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM yesterday, you’d be getting it today for just $999. As much as that’ll sting for recent buyers, it’s great news for people buying MacBook Airs this holiday season.

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The new M4 MacBook Pro comes with these 7 major changes

MacBook Pro with M4

Apple has officially announced the M4 MacBook Pro in both 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes. In addition to the base M4 model, they also come in M4 Pro and M4 Max configurations in both sizes.

But let’s be real: the M3 MacBook Pro was already a fantastic laptop. Is it really worth upgrading to the new model? I won’t know for sure until I’ve tested them myself, but here are the six major changes you need to know about when it comes to the next generation of MacBook Pros.

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What everyone is getting wrong about the Mac mini’s hidden power button

The M4 Mac mini being used in a workplace.

Yesterday, Apple revealed its long-awaited Mac mini redesign to the world, and it’s fair to say that the M4 chip is the least exciting thing about it. The micro computer’s new look is so striking that it’s making me reconsider my previously skeptical stance toward the Mac mini.

But amid all the online chatter surrounding the Mac mini’s refreshed design, there’s been a current of criticism pointed at its power button. You see, Apple has moved it from the back of the device — where it previously lived — to the underside of the computer, meaning you’ll probably need to tip it over every time you want to switch on your Mac mini. It’s drawn scathing comparisons to the Magic Mouse’s upside-down charging port, and that’s never a good thing.

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The post Teardown of the M4 Mac mini reveals a huge surprise | Digital Trends first appeared on www.digitaltrends.com

New reasons to get excited everyday.



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