Apple has started offering parts for M4 Macs in their repair store, including parts for the MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini with M4 chips. This move could be seen as an effort to encourage users to repair their devices themselves rather than always sending them in for repairs.
@Peyton
Can’t you just buy a new Mac for that price at the EDU store?
Rayne said:
@Peyton
Can’t you just buy a new Mac for that price at the EDU store?
The only thing I can think of is that they are making the base models cheaper by charging more for upgrades and parts.
@Peyton
They’re asking for about £400 for 512GB flash memory – you can upgrade the SSD yourself for a lot less.
Roux said:
@Peyton
They’re asking for about £400 for 512GB flash memory – you can upgrade the SSD yourself for a lot less.
Yep, there are Chinese websites offering Mac mini compatible 2TB NAND modules for around $250.
@Peyton
Another reason might be their high profit margins, which is probably the real reason behind these prices.
esleystanley said:
@Peyton
Another reason might be their high profit margins, which is probably the real reason behind these prices.
8GB of RAM doesn’t cost $200. Apple has the clout to get great deals at TSMC and then makes the price work even for those of us who need more than 256GB. Smart move, really.
@Peyton
I think the parts are just priced at a higher margin.
@Peyton
Could you share the prices for other parts? I don’t have a serial number to look it up.
@Peyton
I checked the price of a new M4 Mac Mini with 512GB. It’s £799. The replacement storage is almost half the price of a new computer with the same storage. The 256GB model is £599.
@Peyton
£400 for 512GB, that’s a joke. You can get a Gen 4 2TB SSD for €120 on Amazon.
Vinn said:
@Peyton
£400 for 512GB, that’s a joke. You can get a Gen 4 2TB SSD for €120 on Amazon.
Yes, but it won’t work in the Mac Mini 
Vinn said:
@Peyton
£400 for 512GB, that’s a joke. You can get a Gen 4 2TB SSD for €120 on Amazon.
Yes, but it won’t work in the Mac Mini
If you use an external enclosure, it kind of works. I get your point though.
@Peyton
In the EU, parts need to be reasonably priced. This might actually be a violation of the law. If this goes to court, Apple might need to prove that their prices match the cost of producing the parts.
@esleystanley
Yeah, they probably only started this because they were at risk of violating EU laws. I’m not sure why they keep doing this though.
@esleystanley
Reasonable doesn’t mean at-cost. It just means the price shouldn’t be so high that the repair option isn’t worth it. But I think Apple’s prices are pretty much in line with other pricing in the industry.
@Denver
Reasonable means it shouldn’t be cheaper to buy a new machine than to repair your old one. At more than half the price of a new device, they’ve made repairs seem pointless, which is illegal.
@Peyton
Other computers use M.2, but Apple uses F.U. If they used a standard SSD, they couldn’t charge you ten times the price.
@Peyton
Logic boards don’t include any storage.