Apple base models tend to be fairly competitive but they have some of the most extreme margins on RAM and SSDs in the industry.
They charge $600 CAD to go from 16GB -> 32 GB.
They charge $900 CAD for 512 GB -> 2 TB SSD.
Apple base models tend to be fairly competitive but they have some of the most extreme margins on RAM and SSDs in the industry.
They charge $600 CAD to go from 16GB -> 32 GB.
They charge $900 CAD for 512 GB -> 2 TB SSD.
Unless I'm misunderstanding their store page, Framework charges $687 CAD ($500 USD) to go from 16GB → 32 GB RAM.
They do only charge $214 CAD ($156 USD) to 512 GB → 2 TB SSD, thanks to it just being an NVMe stick.
> Unless I'm misunderstanding their store page, Framework charges $687 CAD ($500 USD) to go from 16GB → 32 GB RAM.
That doesn't seem accurate for any of their computers? There is a pretty big leap from 32GB -> 64GB for the Desktop, but that is also a different processor.
> They charge $900 CAD for 512 GB -> 2 TB SSD.
The SSD is user replaceable, so you can replace it with a cheaper third party option.
The Mac Pro is the only Apple system that has user-replaceable storage. The Mac Mini & Studio both feature slotted storage modules, but Apple firmware locks it and so it can't be replaced much less upgraded.
This is incorrect. Mac minis (starting with the M4 model) and Mac Studios simply need to be restored via DFU mode following physical installation of another SSD (be it a larger one or simply a replacement) to function. There are third parties who have reverse engineered the design of the PCB and paired it with the same Hynix and Sandisk NAND chips Apple use.
There is no firmware lock, and here's the iFixIt guide for doing it.
> How to Replace the SSD in your Mac mini (2024)
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+Replace+the+SSD+in+your+...
...normal M.2 SSDs are incompatible.
This guide is purely instructional for how to replace the SSD with another of the same type.
You can indeed purchase third party replacements up to the maximum size supported by that model.
I would still call this practice malicious. There's no justifiable reason for that much of a jump in price in the first place.