Especially considering their current models have the storage built into the mainboard. They just stack bad decision on top of bad decision when it comes to upgradability and ability to rescue user data when parts go bad.
Upgradability hasn't been something they've been concerned with for a very long time. If you aren't buying a new laptop every two or three years, they don't want to see you.
Owch. Not cheap, but it could be worse. 960GB is the sweet spot, but if you need much more than that you might do better with an external storage solution (and doing that might make pairing with the 480GB one a better deal).
That adapter works, if you're comfortable with having the bottom panel of the case not screwed in fully, or putting significant pressure and weight on the SSD connector. It's a risk I've been taking with my personal machine for months, but I don't think everybody is satisfied with that kind of solution.
Thank you OWC, but you are a little behind the game!
Fledging Feather M13 SSD (for most 2013-2017 Macs) is the same NVMe solution but better, has been out for over a year and a half, and is more affordable across the board.
-Similarities- 1) Feather M13 is NVMe 1.3 PCIe 3.1x4 2) Feather M13 is 64-layer 3D TLC
-Differences- 1) Feather M13 has been out for OVER A YEAR, these guys know all the customer support needed for these products, whereas OWC in the past has had historically not-so-great support. 2) Feather M13 capacities are WHAT YOU GET. For example, the Aura Pro X2 you get a 1920GB when you order a 2TB (that is 80GB less!), whereas Fledging always gives the full capacity. 3) Feather M13 uses more advanced controllers such as the Phison E12, which is superior to Silicon Motion’s SM2262EN controller.
-Pricing- Feather M13 pricing on AMAZON PRIME (2-day shipping, no hassle, full personalized customer support) is currently:
128 GB - $95 (compared to OWC’s… oh wait they don’t offer a 128!) 256 GB - $105 (compared to OWC’s $120 for 16GB less) 512 GB - $177 (compared to OWC’s $180 for 32GB less) 1 TB - $278 (compared to OWC’s $300 for 40GB less) 2 TB - $510 (compared to OWC’s $700 for 80GB less)
The only reason OWC is able to pull this off is because of their brand awareness and dominance in the market for such a long time. I would much rather support businesses who innovate years before OWC with better pricing.
How long have you been an employee of Fledging? Kidding.
The support resources on their web site don't look so hot (although they are reddish-pink so it's at least a warm color temperature).
OWC has had not-so-great support? The thing OWC is known for far and wide, is the quality of their US-based support and the lengths their reps will go to to make sure customers are happy.
Full capacity - you're saying your drives have no over-provisioning? This is dangerous.
128GB - OWC offers 120GB drives in some other series, but not sure why anyone would want to buy a ~ 128GB SSD, given how much space operating systems + apps + media can take up these days. Your drive would be more than half full in a typical case before you've even used it.
> "Full capacity - you're saying your drives have no over-provisioning? This is dangerous."
This is not dangerous. Even "128GB" drives have spare area. In the worst case usage patterns a 128GB drive can be expected to have lower total write endurance than a 120GB drive that's identical in every other way, but it's extremely rare for consumers to have to care at all about write endurance.
All manufacturers who are using over provisioning as an excuse to not offer full capacity are just too cheap to use better quality NAND flash.
Over provisioning is in all SSDs.
Most NAND suppliers offer both 512GB and 480GB dies, the full capacity one being more expensive.
Whenever people hear over provisioning, they should really remind themselves of honest practices such as Crucial MX300 with 525GB capacity or Samsung Bar flash drive with 128.35GB usable space, rather than collude with the corporate greed. The culprits of making non-full capacity a norm are ourselves as consumers.
OWC said they considered using Phison E12, but found that they were constantly running into firmware issues that affected macOS and that the SM2262EN seemed to be the better choice for this product. (OWC has a standard M.2 drive that uses Phison E12.)
Just bought and install OWC Auro Pro X2 SSD for my MacBook Air 6.2 as I really trusted OWC, but find out that there are issues with sleep mode and this issue could not be solved. As per OWC technical support, the solution is to ship back OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD to OWC and cover all costs, if I do not like loose Sleep functionality of my MacBook. No disclaimers on OWC web on technical incompatibility with MacBook Air 6.2.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
17 Comments
Back to Article
Mikewind Dale - Tuesday, April 16, 2019 - link
My takeaway from this article is: never buy a Mac.dgingeri - Tuesday, April 16, 2019 - link
Especially considering their current models have the storage built into the mainboard. They just stack bad decision on top of bad decision when it comes to upgradability and ability to rescue user data when parts go bad.Lord of the Bored - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
Upgradability hasn't been something they've been concerned with for a very long time. If you aren't buying a new laptop every two or three years, they don't want to see you.Cullinaire - Tuesday, April 16, 2019 - link
Never buy a mac, unless you (or someone else) can write it off.GreenReaper - Tuesday, April 16, 2019 - link
Owch. Not cheap, but it could be worse. 960GB is the sweet spot, but if you need much more than that you might do better with an external storage solution (and doing that might make pairing with the 480GB one a better deal).Cullinaire - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
I see what you did there!mikegrok - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
on the other hand, apple swapped to pcie for their internal SSDs in 2012, long before m.2 became popular.On the other hand, this $14 adapter lets you use a m.2 drive on your post 2013 MacBook pro. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FYY3H5F
-Michael
Billy Tallis - Thursday, April 18, 2019 - link
That adapter works, if you're comfortable with having the bottom panel of the case not screwed in fully, or putting significant pressure and weight on the SSD connector. It's a risk I've been taking with my personal machine for months, but I don't think everybody is satisfied with that kind of solution.mikegrok - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
another option for bulk storage on some of the older models is to use an SDXC to sd adapter that is flush with the side of the computer. like:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012F8ALBC/
daniel_invents - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
Thank you OWC, but you are a little behind the game!Fledging Feather M13 SSD (for most 2013-2017 Macs) is the same NVMe solution but better, has been out for over a year and a half, and is more affordable across the board.
-Similarities-
1) Feather M13 is NVMe 1.3 PCIe 3.1x4
2) Feather M13 is 64-layer 3D TLC
-Differences-
1) Feather M13 has been out for OVER A YEAR, these guys know all the customer support needed for these products, whereas OWC in the past has had historically not-so-great support.
2) Feather M13 capacities are WHAT YOU GET. For example, the Aura Pro X2 you get a 1920GB when you order a 2TB (that is 80GB less!), whereas Fledging always gives the full capacity.
3) Feather M13 uses more advanced controllers such as the Phison E12, which is superior to Silicon Motion’s SM2262EN controller.
-Pricing-
Feather M13 pricing on AMAZON PRIME (2-day shipping, no hassle, full personalized customer support) is currently:
https://amzn.to/2V79duW
128 GB - $95 (compared to OWC’s… oh wait they don’t offer a 128!)
256 GB - $105 (compared to OWC’s $120 for 16GB less)
512 GB - $177 (compared to OWC’s $180 for 32GB less)
1 TB - $278 (compared to OWC’s $300 for 40GB less)
2 TB - $510 (compared to OWC’s $700 for 80GB less)
The only reason OWC is able to pull this off is because of their brand awareness and dominance in the market for such a long time. I would much rather support businesses who innovate years before OWC with better pricing.
Charlie Chipsets - Thursday, April 18, 2019 - link
How long have you been an employee of Fledging? Kidding.The support resources on their web site don't look so hot (although they are reddish-pink so it's at least a warm color temperature).
OWC has had not-so-great support? The thing OWC is known for far and wide, is the quality of their US-based support and the lengths their reps will go to to make sure customers are happy.
Full capacity - you're saying your drives have no over-provisioning? This is dangerous.
128GB - OWC offers 120GB drives in some other series, but not sure why anyone would want to buy a ~ 128GB SSD, given how much space operating systems + apps + media can take up these days. Your drive would be more than half full in a typical case before you've even used it.
Billy Tallis - Thursday, April 18, 2019 - link
> "Full capacity - you're saying your drives have no over-provisioning? This is dangerous."This is not dangerous. Even "128GB" drives have spare area. In the worst case usage patterns a 128GB drive can be expected to have lower total write endurance than a 120GB drive that's identical in every other way, but it's extremely rare for consumers to have to care at all about write endurance.
spiderNAND - Friday, April 19, 2019 - link
*quick over-partitioning rant*All manufacturers who are using over provisioning as an excuse to not offer full capacity are just too cheap to use better quality NAND flash.
Over provisioning is in all SSDs.
Most NAND suppliers offer both 512GB and 480GB dies, the full capacity one being more expensive.
Whenever people hear over provisioning, they should really remind themselves of honest practices such as Crucial MX300 with 525GB capacity or Samsung Bar flash drive with 128.35GB usable space, rather than collude with the corporate greed. The culprits of making non-full capacity a norm are ourselves as consumers.
Billy Tallis - Thursday, April 18, 2019 - link
OWC said they considered using Phison E12, but found that they were constantly running into firmware issues that affected macOS and that the SM2262EN seemed to be the better choice for this product. (OWC has a standard M.2 drive that uses Phison E12.)n4n - Saturday, May 25, 2019 - link
Would you mind providing source for this information?Sandris - Saturday, June 22, 2019 - link
Just bought and install OWC Auro Pro X2 SSD for my MacBook Air 6.2 as I really trusted OWC, but find out that there are issues with sleep mode and this issue could not be solved. As per OWC technical support, the solution is to ship back OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD to OWC and cover all costs, if I do not like loose Sleep functionality of my MacBook. No disclaimers on OWC web on technical incompatibility with MacBook Air 6.2.skytroppa - Friday, January 31, 2020 - link
THIS DRIVE WILL CRASH YOUR MAC EVERY TIME IT SLEEPS!https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/ewows7/sta...