The M1 Mac computers are limited to a maximum of 16-gigabytes of memory and the only other option is 8-gigabytes. However, as pointed out by MacRumors, upgrades are technically possible and some adventurous owners have already done so. Apple allows external expansion of storage via the two USB 4 ports which support fast Thunderbolt 3 transfer speeds, but doesn’t offer any help regarding memory expansion. Since there are no memory card slots available, and no dedicated place to add another internal drive, an upgrade would require replacing those components.

The internal solid-state drive (SSD) is also soldered in place, as was the previous generation Intel-based Mac mini. The two previous generations, based on an Intel CPU, did not have upgradable RAM, so this isn’t unique to the M1 Mac mini. However, according to Apple’s support page even the Mac mini, a small desktop computer with a more sizable case has a fixed memory capacity. Laptops that are difficult to upgrade are more common in the last few years, so the official stance that the random access memory (RAM) on an M1 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro can’t be increased after purchase is not terribly shocking. Related: How RISC Makes Apple Silicon M1 Mac Faster Than Intel The new M1 Mac was up to the task, outperforming the previous generations' Intel processors and eliminating most of the doubt that Apple chips could be competitive in this new venture. Apple has been making its own chips for the iPhone and iPad as well as other devices for many years, but these new computer systems were the first to rely on an Apple processor. This is significant because a laptop or entry-level desktop is expected to perform intensive tasks much faster than a mobile device. This is the term Apple used when the company announced its plan for future Mac computers to come powered by its own system-on-a-chip.

The newest MacBook laptops and Mac mini desktop are powered by Apple Silicon. Whether this a hard line, a technical impossibility, or simply a very difficult and unsupported process was not known until recently. However, once the choice is made, the official statement is that there is no possibility of an upgrade. When purchasing an M1 Mac from Apple or from another retailer, there are options to choose more or less memory and greater or smaller storage capacities.

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