Apple Has Found A Clever Way To Shield Itself From The DRAM Crisis By Using Key Parts Interchangeable With Both iPhones And Macs

The MacBook Neo is an excellent example of how it’s possible to incorporate iPhone parts into a notebook, but the binned A18 Pro isn’t the only component that Apple has added to its larger machines from mobile devices to streamline its product range with the same parts. In fact, according to a SSD modification, both the MacBook Neo and the iPhone 16 Pro feature the same NAND flash, which is an excellent way to maintain margins while the DRAM crisis is in full effect.

A specific NAND flash chip with particular dimensions used on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max can be used on the MacBook Neo, with the SSD upgraded to 1TB

Even though the MacBook Neo has previously been demonstrated to house a 1TB SSD through modding, which is twice the maximum capacity offered by Apple, YouTuber dosdude1 has shown that it’s possible to swap out the existing solid-state drive with a unit present in an iPhone, but there’s a catch. For instance, the 1TB K8A5 model NAND shares the same footprint and thickness as the flash memory in the MacBook Neo, making it the ideal part for the content creator’s latest modding project.

However, it’s essential to remember that it’s not possible to swap an existing SSD from an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max and add it to the MacBook Neo since it won’t be detected. This is because data and the operating system have already been written to this NAND chip, requiring a completely blank flash module for the modding to be successful. What’s interesting about Apple’s foresight is that even if the company didn’t anticipate a DRAM shortage, sourcing the same parts found in an iPhone and Mac is a genius move.

It means that the Cupertino firm didn’t need to have another manufacturer or the same one set up an entirely independent production line to mass produce different NAND chips of varying sizes and thickness, reducing the time and cost it takes to procure a single part to be used in a wide range of products. Where the majority of laptop makers require individual M.2 SSDs from different companies, Apple is pretty much streamlining its supply chain, making it less of a headache to acquire parts at a high price, providing a small protection layer from the DRAM shortage.

For those who haven’t been following, the current situation has shot up SSD prices, so while Apple has a temporary shield guarding it from storage price bumps, it’s reported to gobble up RAM supply at a premium to keep the competition at bay. Still, being able to protect yourself from one component is a far better outcome.

News Source: dosdude1

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