The new Touch Bar-equipped MacBook Pro models unfortunately “feature” a soldered-in non-removable SSD, so if the logic board goes dead in those models, and you don’t have a backup of your data, you’re screwed, right?
Not so fast, be for the wailing and gnashing of teeth begin, let us tell you about a cool little proprietary in-house tool Apple has that can try to restore the data on said SSD if disaster does strike. You may have heard about a “mystery port” on the new MacBook Pros. It seems Apple put that port there in order to attempt data recovery from the soldered SSDs, if needed.
9to5Mac tells us:
Apple’s new customer data migration tool is specifically designed for the 2016 MacBook Pro and includes a logic board holder with power adapter that allows repair staff to insert your logic board and connect it via USB-C to another MacBook Pro. That’s what the mystery “connector to nowhere” is for, and below is a photo of the new migration tool in action with a logic board inserted in the holder ready to transfer data.
Apple doesn’t guarantee it will be able to recover your data, so always make sure to backup your precious information the same way they vote in Chicago, early and often.
The recovery tool is only available to Apple retail stores and service providers, so you can’t pick one of these little puppies off the shelf in your local Apple Store. However, Apple will offer to transfer your data for any logic board, SSD, Touch ID, or wireless card failures. (All of those components are attached to the new MacBook Pros’ logic board.) The service will be provided to anyone with a MacBook Pro still under warranty or AppleCare.
