iFixit’s 2014 Mac Mini Teardown Shows a Sealed, Less-Upgradeable Redesign
When Apple updated the Mini for the first time in two years at its product event last week, it looked like it stayed pretty much the same. The product dimensions on Apple’s product pages are the same, and the outside certainly looks the same as it has since 2010 or so. Unfortunately, according to iFixit’s teardown, the new Mini makes several changes that we were worried about, even though the dimensions are unchanged.
In the 2010, 2011, and 2012 models, the bottom of the unit was relatively easy to twist and remove, giving users easy access to two RAM slots. In the 2014 model, the same panel must be pried off with a plastic tool, and an additional metal cover held in place with Torx Security screws must also be removed (iFixit notes that the Security screws are unusually small).
There are no RAM slots underneath that panel, and after popping the motherboard out, iFixit confirmed that the new Mini’s memory is soldered to the logic board, much as it is in the MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro.
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