Apple MacBook Air Revised SSD features on Ivy Bridge Module

The do-it-yourself repair aficionados at iFixit have taken a look inside the latest Ivy Bridge-powered MacBook Air and found very few changes. However, Apple has revised the essentially custom SSD module the ultraportable uses for storage. The change means that current third-party replacements designed for the 2010 and 2011 MacBooks Airs won't work, and it also appears Apple hasn't adopted the increasingly popular mSATA standard, either.

The battery configuration, logic board, speakers, trackpad, keyboard, and display are nearly identical to the previous-generation MacBook Air. In fact, according to iFixit, the Broadcom wireless module, which supports 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0, is identical except for some repositioned stickers. Even the fans are the same symmetrical design used in previous Airs, and not the asymmetrical design found in the Retina MacBook Pro.

The Sandy Bridge processor has been swapped for an Ivy Bridge replacement, the controller chip is likewise upgraded, and the RAM has been improved to 1600MHz. Apple also updated the Thunderbolt controller to the four-channel Cactus Ridge variant, which supports two DisplayPort outputs and could theoretically drive two external monitors with the integrated Intel HD4000 GPU. However, Apple only promises that one external monitor will work with the new Air.
In an effort to eke out yet more performance from the custom, NAND flash-based SSD modules used as primary storage, Apple has apparently adopted a slightly revised connector with a different pinout compared to previous MacBook Air SSD modules. Unfortunately, that means there will be a significant delay before third-party alternatives are available, though Apple does now offer a 512GB option—double the previous maximum.

"Apple tweaked the SSD form factor and switched to a different flash controller," iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens told Ars. "The new unit is based on a SandForce SATA-III controller chip, but stamped with Toshiba markings. While the board bears visual similarities to mSATA, it is not using the same connector."

It's too early to tell for sure, but it also appears that Apple is using a different form factor for the SSDs in the new Retina MacBook Pro. Though the pinout may be the same as the new Air (and both still use the latest revision of the SATA protocol), the layout of the chips and the maximum 768GB capacity suggest a different physical board size.

Source: Arstechnica

Tags: Apple, Ivy Bridge, MacBook Air, Laptop, Notebook