AppleSSDs

AppleSSDs are the solid-state drives used in Apple Inc.'s Macintosh computers, replacing spinning hard drives to provide faster data access, lower power consumption, and greater reliability. They are designed to work with macOS, taking advantage of hardware encryption where available, and are updated through system software.

Design and evolution: Early Apple systems used 2.5-inch SATA SSDs in standard drive bays. From the mid-2010s onward, Apple shifted to PCIe-based NVMe solid-state drives, including blade-style modules and, in many modern laptops and desktops, drives that are soldered to the logic board. As a result, some models are not user-serviceable in terms of storage.

Interface and performance: PCIe NVMe interfaces provide higher bandwidth than SATA. Apple firmware optimizations and macOS filesystems enable fast boot and application load times; sequential read/write speeds commonly exceed several hundred to over 3,000 MB/s depending on hardware.

Compatibility and upgrades: Removable AppleSSDs exist for older, upgradeable Macs; replacements require matching form factor and firmware compatibility. Newer models often require logic-board-level replacement for storage changes.

Security and maintenance: AppleSSDs include hardware encryption in many configurations; macOS FileVault uses the drive's encryption capabilities. Firmware updates are delivered via macOS software updates; TRIM is supported on AppleSSDs in supported OS versions.

Related topics include solid-state drives, NVMe, and macOS storage.