Chosen Solution
Hi! My A1708 EMC3164 was recently damaged and isn’t working anymore… I’ve seen quite a few post in this forum but I’m still a bit lost. Some people talk about a non-removable ssd for this model and it makes the data recovery very complicated. It seems like that’s not the one that I have, can someone validate that? Could I remove it and buy and mSata adapter to be able to plug it into another computer? Thanks in advance!
The confusion is based on the two different 13” models Apple produced in 2016 & 2017. You have the Function Key model which does have a removable storage module. The other system was the TouchBar which had soldered storage. Which is why it can be confusing if they just say 2016 or 2017 13” as we wouldn’t know which model. So yes! You can remove your module and slide it into another 13” Function Key based system to salvage your data. Sadly, no one offers a external case to hold your storage module (SSD in your case). So you only have the one option finding someone who will allow you to swap out their module for yours so you can then backup your data to an external drive (USB or Thunderbolt).
You may want to try to get one of these. https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Apple-Custo… It costs around $500 and is currently out of stock. However, if you find one and can probably hire your services out recovering data for others in your situation. On a side note, if you are considering upgrading or replacing your Apple laptop, you may want to consider the new framework laptop at: https://www.frame.work I think that you can enable virtualisation in the cpu of this laptop. If this is true then you could turn it into a hackintosh that is both cheaper to upgrade and repair. If you want more info on a hackintosh try: https://m.youtube.com/c/Morgonaut
