Reportedly, technicians in China have managed to upgrade the memory and storage of the M1 chip, suggesting that Apple’s integrated silicone for the Mac may be as flexible as previously thought.
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Reports on maintenance technicians that could expand the memory and storage of M1 Macs began to spread on Chinese social media over the weekend, but now international reports have begun to clarify the situation.
Technicians in Guangzhou, China, have discovered that it is possible to detach the RAM from the vanM1 chip and its nearby SSD module and replace it with larger capacity components, which are correctly recognized by MacOS, without having to repair the device break.
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As proof, a large number of images showing the process of a base model M1 MacBook Air with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage have been upgraded to 16 GB RAM and 1 TB storage, and this change is shown correctly in MacOS Big Sur. shared online.
The RAM and SSD components on Apple’s M1 Macs are soldered, which makes the procedure extremely challenging, and there is apparently a high chance of failure. This intrusive unofficial upgrade undoubtedly violates Apple’s warranty.
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Apple has made it increasingly challenging for users to upgrade their own Macs over the years, and the M1 Mac was thought to be a final solidification of this step, with all of the M1 Mac’s computer components heavily physically integrated. The possibility of upgrading the memory and storage of M1 Macs, albeit in an intrusive and risky procedure, therefore appears to be an important discovery.
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Due to the difficulty of upgrading the RAM or SSD, almost all M1 owners will probably still have to rely on the memory and storage configuration they chose at the point of purchase, with upgrades limited to a minority of enthusiasts, though was suggested that Mac memory upgrades and storage in Asia would be available through unofficial channels.
M1 Mac owners would like to see if the process behind these upgrades is refined over time and becomes a more viable option.