Despite Apple’s apparent efforts to prevent people from upgrading hardware in the Retina MacBook Pro, Other World Computing today announced the first third-party SSD upgrade for the machine, bringing choice to users.
The upgrade is called the Aura Pro, and is intended for users who purchased the base-level Retina MacBook Pro with the 256GB SSD (the base-level was only available with 256GB at first). As such, the Aura Pro currently only comes in 512GB capacity.
The upgrade costs $579, and will begin shipping within a week. The upgrade kit also includes all of the necessary tools for installation – including a driver for removing Apple’s proprietary screws.
OWC’s upgrade also operates faster than Apple’s included drives, and customers who order before September 30th will also receive a USB 3.0 enclosure, allowing them to use their old 256GB SSD as an external drive ($60 savings).
For more information, or to purchase the Aura Pro for Retina MacBook Pro, visit OWC’s product page.