Tag: SSD

TL;DR

• SlashGear’s 12-item “don’t buy at garage sales” list hits the basics, but misses the silent tripwires that flip the math: cloud shutdowns with firm dates (Belkin Wemo 1/31/2026), product safety recalls (CPSC’s Onewheel action), and hidden drive health due to USB bridges blocking S.M.A.R.T. telemetry. [1][6][5][11]
• Treat garage-sale tech like an options trade: your upside is often <$50 off a known-good $70–$90 new 1TB SSD, while your downside includes $300+ in recovery time/fees or a bricked cloud product. The payoff is asymmetric—in the wrong direction. [2]
• Do pre-purchase diligence: confirm cloud end dates (Wemo 1/31/2026), check recall lists (CPSC Onewheel, 2023), and verify storage health/endurance (e.g., ~600 TBW for many 1TB SSDs; S.M.A.R.T. often hidden over USB). [6][5][2][11]

What the source said

SlashGear warns bargain hunters away from 12 categories at yard sales—external drives, wireless earbuds, smartphones, smartwatches, TVs/streaming sticks, game consoles, cloud-tethered smart-home gadgets, micromobility, early VR headsets, pre‑2018 soundbars, printers, and older cameras—citing hard‑to‑measure wear, end of OS/app support, app‑only features, cloud shutdowns, and safety recalls (e.g., Quest 2 facial interface irritation recall in 2021). The thesis: “cheap” gear can turn worthless fast if a cloud dies or a sealed battery is toast. [1][9]

Why it matters

A $20 impulse buy can become a liability when the device holds your photos or your identity—or can injure you. The CPSC’s 2023 Onewheel recall covered 300,000 boards and cited four deaths, showing how a “deal” on micromobility can carry headline risk, civil exposure, and real harm; storage failures also create knock‑on losses that exceed sticker price. [5][10]

Stakeholders:

• Consumers: Households risk data loss, safety, and refunds on devices with kill‑switch clouds like Wemo’s 2026 cutoff or defunct security systems like Nest Secure’s 2024 EOL. [6][7]
• Platforms and brands (Belkin/Wemo; Google Nest): Companies save OPEX by sunsetting clouds, but pay in reputation, support costs, and potential regulatory scrutiny when hardware loses core functions. [6][7]
• Refurbishers/resellers (Back Market, Gazelle): Either win trust with health checks, wipes, and warranties—or drown in chargebacks when bricked clouds or dead batteries surface.

Original analysis

The SlashGear list is directionally right. Here’s a sharper decision lens grounded in where risks actually come from.

— 2×2 Longevity Risk Matrix

• High Cloud Reliance × High Battery Dependency: worst quadrant. Examples: app‑only smart home gear (Wemo switches) and first‑gen VR headsets with aging foam/cells. Belkin ends Wemo cloud/app support on January 31, 2026; many models lose remote/app/voice control afterward. Meta’s 2021 Quest 2 facial interface recall (~4M units) shows how wearables hide latent hazards. [6][9]
• High Cloud Reliance × Low Battery Dependency: still risky. Hubs and security systems lose core functions on shutdown; Nest Secure support ended April 8, 2024, stranding installed bases. [7]
• Low Cloud Reliance × High Battery Dependency: mixed bag. Earbuds and watches like AirPods can “work,” but sealed cells age invisibly and push you toward unit replacement instead of repair.
• Low Cloud Reliance × Low Battery Dependency: safest. Passive speakers, wired headphones, DOCSIS modems with local admin, and mechanical keyboards with replaceable switches stay useful and fixable.

— Back‑of‑envelope: the “expected value” of a used external SSD
Assume a 1TB USB SSD for $25; a new reputable 1TB SSD costs ~$70–$90, and Samsung’s 970 EVO Plus rates 600 TBW (1TB) and 1200 TBW (2TB). [2]

• Model a 10% failure chance in year one; data recovery plus time cost = $300. Expected downside: 0.10 × $300 = $30.
• Net: $25 “saved” vs. $30 expected downside = −$5. The risk worsens if S.M.A.R.T. data is hidden by a USB bridge, which many enclosures do. If you can’t read health directly (SATA/NVMe), skip. [11]

— Contrarian read
Common advice says “If a used phone boots, it’s fine.” In 2026, support windows—not boot screens—determine value. Samsung’s 2024 Galaxy S24 line and Google’s current Pixels promise seven years of OS/security updates; most pre‑2021 Android phones won’t qualify. Apple historically lands in the 5–7 year range for major iOS updates, with security patches sometimes longer. A random 2018 Android can mean broken banking apps and unpatched CVEs. [3][4]

— Named‑stakeholder breakdown

• Belkin (Wemo): A hard EOL date forces buyers to discount cloud‑tied SKUs at resale or avoid them entirely; expect “support until” labels to become table stakes. [6]
• Google (Nest Secure): Ending support on April 8, 2024, shows even Big Tech will shutter ecosystems and offer compensation rather than indefinite service. Ownership looks like rent. [7]
• Meta (Quest 2 foam recall): The 2021 recall near 4 million units reminds buyers that “wearables” can carry recall baggage into the secondhand market. [9]
• Backblaze (reliability data): Fleet‑scale drive stats make failure probability visible; a driveway table does not. Buyers need tools and telemetry they rarely have on‑site. [10]

Gadgets to avoid at garage sales: a smarter short list

• Cloud‑dependent devices with announced or plausible shutdowns (Wemo switches/plugs without robust local modes; Nest Secure kits). If you can’t confirm full local control today, pass. [6][7]
• Micromobility with recall histories (Onewheel; CPSC cites four deaths and a 300,000‑unit recall in 2023). No bargain offsets that liability. [5]
• Sealed‑cell wearables/earbuds (AirPods/most buds; older watches). Batteries age invisibly, and most models lack practical, economical battery swaps.
• External drives you can’t S.M.A.R.T.-check on the spot. Endurance matters: 1TB SSDs commonly rate ~600 TBW; a heavy user could be close. USB bridges often hide health telemetry. [2][11]

What others are missing

The privacy landmine. ESET researchers bought used enterprise routers and found that 56% still held sensitive configs—VPN credentials, internal network maps, and customer data—exposing prior owners to breach, extortion, and compliance fallout. That same pattern can hit TVs with accounts, IP cameras with cloud ties, and NAS boxes with half‑erased users. The real question at a driveway table is whether you can truly purge every credential and backdoor without vendor cloud access; in many SKUs, the honest answer is “no.” [8]

What to watch next

1. By December 31, 2026, at least one top‑10 U.S. electronics retailer (e.g., Best Buy/Amazon class) will publish “cloud support until” dates on smart‑home product pages, similar to phone OS support timelines.
2. By June 30, 2027, the FTC or at least one state attorney general will open an action or rulemaking exploring “unfair or deceptive” smart‑device sunsets, with proposed requirements for pre‑sale disclosure of cloud EOL dates.
3. By December 31, 2027, at least two major refurbishers will launch a standardized “Local‑Only Mode Certified” badge for smart devices that remain fully functional after cloud shutdowns—or they’ll drop those SKUs entirely.

My take

I buy used gear, but not blind: anything tied to a vendor server, a pristine lithium cell, or irreplaceable data stays on the table, even if the sticker says “$40 off.” Pay retail or certified refurb for cloud‑bound or sealed‑battery categories, and hunt yard sales for local‑first, repairable, or purely mechanical tech. Until brands post guaranteed cloud lifetimes—and regulators make them stick—treat cloud‑tethered garage‑sale gadgets as display pieces, not deals. Your money and your photos will survive the weekend.

Sources

1. 12 Gadgets To Steer Clear Of At Garage Sales — SlashGear (https://www.slashgear.com/2228825/gadgets-steer-clear-of-avoid-at-garage-sales/) — The starting list of risky secondhand categories.
2. 970 EVO Plus NVMe SSD Data Sheet — Samsung (https://image-us.samsung.com/SamsungUS/samsungbusiness/pdfs/SSD-970EVOPLUSDSHT-JUN19T-Final-6-27-19.pdf) — Confirms SSD endurance (TBW): 600 TBW for 1TB; 1200 TBW for 2TB.
3. Galaxy S24 series gets seven years of Android updates — Android Authority (https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-galaxy-s24-series-seven-years-software-updates-3402991/) — Establishes 7‑year OS/security support benchmark on Android.
4. How long does Apple support iPhones? — Macworld (https://www.macworld.com/article/675021/how-long-does-apple-support-iphones.html) — Summarizes Apple’s typical 5–7 year iOS and security‑update windows.
5. Future Motion Recalls 300,000 Onewheel Boards; Four Deaths Reported — CPSC (https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2023/Future-Motion-Recalls-Onewheel-Self-Balancing-Electric-Skateboards-Due-to-Crash-Hazard-Four-Deaths-Reported?language=en) — Official safety recall underpinning micromobility risk.
6. Wemo Support Ending — Belkin (https://www.belkin.com/th/support-article/?articleNum=335419) — Official notice that Wemo cloud/app support ends January 31, 2026.
7. Support for Nest Secure ended on April 8, 2024 — Google (https://support.google.com/googlehome/answer/10191961?hl=en) — Confirms a high‑profile cloud shutdown date and impact.
8. ESET finds sensitive data on used routers — ESET (https://www.eset.com/au/about/newsroom/press-releases1/press-releases/eset-discovers-corporate-secrets-and-data-on-recycled-company-routers/) — Documents privacy risk from secondhand network gear.
9. Oculus/Meta Quest 2 Facial Interface Recall (~4M units) — CPSC (https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2021/Facebook-Technologies-Recalls-Removable-Foam-Facial-Interfaces-for-Oculus-Quest-2-Virtual-Reality-Headsets-Due-to-Skin-Irritation-Hazard-Recall-Alert) — Validates VR wear‑related safety issue.
10. Backblaze Drive Stats for 2024 — Backblaze (https://www.backblaze.com/blog/backblaze-drive-stats-for-2024/) — Provides empirical HDD/SSD reliability context and AFR data.
11. Learn About S.M.A.R.T. — SanDisk (https://support-eu.sandisk.com/app/answers/detailweb/a_id/12163/related/1) — Notes S.M.A.R.T. health isn’t reliably available over many USB enclosures, limiting in‑field testing.

TL;DR

• Framework cut Laptop 13 Pro DIY Edition prices by qualifying ADATA’s XPG MARS 970 Gen 5 SSDs, applying the reductions to existing pre-orders, and upgrading 500GB buyers to 1TB at a lower price; it also flagged potential CPU price hikes in the coming weeks. [1][2]
• Apple raised U.S. MacBook prices on June 25, 2026 by $200 on MacBook Air ($1,099 → $1,299) and $300 on MacBook Pro ($1,699 → $1,999), shifting the thin‑and‑light value bar; Framework’s move turns that public reset into a competitive wedge. [3]
• The real story is thermals and controllers: an efficient Gen 5 SSD in a 13.5‑inch chassis widens bill‑of‑materials options and lets a modular OEM hold or cut prices while sealed rivals absorb or pass through costs. [5]

What the source said

VideoCardz reported that Framework responded to Apple’s Mac price hikes by lowering prices on Laptop 13 Pro DIY Edition configs that now include ADATA’s XPG MARS 970 PCIe Gen 5 storage, with 1TB and 2TB options for new orders. Framework said it would automatically move existing pre-orders to the ADATA drive, apply the reduced price, and upgrade 500GB selections to 1TB at a lower price, while warning that CPU pricing could rise soon. Pre‑built systems are unchanged because they ship with Gen 4 SSDs. [1][2]

Why it matters

Framework’s switch during a 2026 NAND/DRAM squeeze shows how a small modular vendor can arbitrage component pricing mid‑cycle and pass savings to customers on June pre-orders instead of waiting for a new model year. The company used configurability—swapping a Gen 5 SSD qualification—to cut real dollars while signaling that future CPU costs may lift some SKUs. [2]

Apple’s across‑the‑board Mac increases on June 25, 2026 reset cross‑shop math: Air at $1,299 and Pro at $1,999 change student, developer, and SMB budgets heading into the August–September U.S. back‑to‑school window. A rival offering a $1,199 DIY base (as launched in April 2026) plus cheaper Gen 5 storage can scoop fence‑sitters who notice a $100–$300 spread. [3][4]

Original analysis

Framework lowers Laptop 13 Pro prices: what’s actually changing

The headline is storage, not the CPU or screen: Framework is swapping to ADATA’s XPG MARS 970 (1TB/2TB) Gen 5 SSD with rated sequential up to 11,000/10,000 MB/s (10,500/9,500 MB/s for 1TB), a thin profile suitable for notebooks, and a 5‑year warranty. Engineers will zero in on the controller: the drive uses Silicon Motion’s SM2508, which brings Gen 5 throughput at lower power than first‑wave controllers that needed bulky heatsinks. In a 13.5‑inch, 3:2 laptop, cooler Gen 5 widens thermal headroom and enables BOM choices others can’t mirror quickly. [5][6]

Framework says it will shift all existing 13 Pro pre‑orders with the older Gen 5 option to ADATA’s drive, reprice them down, and upgrade 500GB orders to 1TB at a lower price—an unusually customer‑friendly move in a rising‑cost environment. It simultaneously warned that CPU pricing could increase “in the coming weeks,” a tell that SSD savings offset anticipated processor inflation rather than herald broad deflation. [2]

Meanwhile, Apple’s June 25 price hike added $200 to MacBook Air and $300 to MacBook Pro, changing the perceived gap with Windows/Linux ultralights for the next semester of buyers. Framework’s 13 Pro DIY Edition launched at $1,199 in April 2026, which now sits $100 under the Air before the SSD repricing rolls in. Perception moves switchers as much as the raw sticker. [3][4]

— Back‑of‑envelope calculation

• Apple’s increase: +$200 (Air), +$300 (Pro). Amortized over 36 months, $200 ≈ $5.56/month and $300 ≈ $8.33/month; those deltas often equal a 1TB SSD upgrade or a RAM step in a modular build. If you planned for $1,099 and now see $1,299, that $200 gap can fund a 1TB Gen 5 SSD in a DIY machine, narrowing total cost of ownership in the $1,000–$1,500 band. [3]

— A 2×2: how laptop makers respond to the memory crunch

• X‑axis: Cost strategy

  • Absorb temporarily
  • Pass‑through quickly

• Y‑axis: Product architecture

  • Closed/sealed
  • Modular/DIY

• Quadrants with examples:

  • Closed + Absorb: Apple (until June 2026), then a shift right as hedges run out. [3]
  • Closed + Pass‑through: Premium Windows OEMs (e.g., Dell XPS 13 or HP Spectre x360 base trims in 2025) that bump RAM/SSD pricing or prune low‑capacity configs.
  • Modular + Absorb: Framework consuming cheaper 2025 SSD inventory to delay hikes, then partially reverting in 2026. [2]
  • Modular + Pass‑through via supplier swap: Framework’s ADATA switch with instant repricing—change the ingredient, move the price, keep the promise. [2]

— Historical analogue

Thailand’s 2011 floods throttled HDD output and doubled drive prices, forcing OEMs to raise system prices or alter specs through 2012–2013. Contemporary coverage shows how quickly supply shocks cascaded into product decisions and how long recovery took, a rhyme with 2026’s NAND/DRAM dynamics. Expect 6–18 months of churn rather than a six‑week blip. [7][8]

— Contrarian read

Sequential peaks at 2TB (11,000/10,000 MB/s) exceed the 1TB variant’s 10,500/9,500 MB/s, a reminder that not all Gen 5 wins are uniform across capacities. If Framework’s mix skews to 1TB for cost reasons, early buyers may trade a few percent of sequential speed for cooler sustained performance that benefits laptops more. [5]

— Named‑stakeholder breakdown

• Framework: Gains trust by repricing June 2026 pre‑orders downward and telegraphing CPU risk to pull demand forward. [2]
• Apple: Protects margin during a memory supercycle but opens a flank to value‑driven prosumers and students priced at $1,100–$1,300. [3]
• ADATA/XPG and Silicon Motion: Land a laptop‑class Gen 5 design‑in that validates thin‑profile controllers beyond desktops. [5][6]
• Western Digital/SanDisk and Phison (OEM mix): Maintain presence in prebuilt Gen 4 stacks but lose DIY mindshare to “cooler Gen 5” narratives. [2]
• Buyers: DIY flexibility turns into dollars when a supplier swap yields an automatic 500GB→1TB upgrade and a lower invoice. [2]

What others are missing

The laptop‑scale thermal budget is the hinge: many early Gen 5 SSDs targeted desktop peak throughput and ran hot, forcing 13‑inch notebooks to throttle or burn fan and battery headroom. ADATA’s MARS 970 is specced for thin‑profile operation without oversized heatsinks, which fits a 13.5‑inch, 3:2 chassis better than “banner 11 GB/s” drives that heat‑soak under real workloads. Controller choice (SM2508) plus thermals, not just raw sequential, is what lets Framework price‑cut without cooking the chassis. [5][6]

What to watch next

1. By July 31, 2026, Framework raises the price of at least one Laptop 13 Pro CPU configuration for new orders, citing the CPU cost signal disclosed on June 25. [2]
2. By September 30, 2026, at least one major Windows OEM publicly trims a base storage capacity (e.g., 512GB → 256GB) or raises storage upgrade prices on a named model, documenting a pass‑through strategy similar to Apple’s.
3. By December 31, 2026, a second laptop brand markets a “thin Gen 5” SSD supplier swap with an efficiency/thermals pitch, indicating that ADATA/SMI’s approach influenced competitors. [6]

My take

Framework turned a component qualification into both a pricing event and a positioning story at the end of June 2026. Apple’s $200–$300 hike forces shoppers in the $1,000–$2,000 bracket to rerun the spreadsheet, and Framework filled a cell with a cooler Gen 5 option plus an automatic 500GB→1TB upgrade. If the SM2508‑based MARS 970 behaves in a 13‑inch chassis the way early reviews suggest on desktops, Gen 5 becomes a sane default rather than a marketing checkbox. Expect indecisive DIY buyers to convert now, and a slice of Mac‑curious students to test a repairable rig while Cupertino rides the memory cycle. [3][6]

Sources

1. Framework lowers Laptop 13 Pro prices in response to Apple’s Mac price hikes — VideoCardz (https://videocardz.com/newz/framework-lowers-laptop-13-pro-prices-in-response-to-apples-mac-price-hikes) — Reports the price cuts tied to ADATA’s XPG MARS 970 Gen 5 SSD qualification and changes to existing pre‑orders.

2. Navigating the volatile silicon market: updates on memory and storage pricing — Framework Community Blog (https://community.frame.work/t/navigating-the-volatile-silicon-market-updates-on-memory-and-storage-pricing/78800) — Official June 25, 2026 post confirming the ADATA switch, 500GB→1TB upgrade, and a warning about imminent CPU price increases.

3. Apple raises Mac and iPad prices, spares iPhone for now — TechCrunch (https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/25/apple-raises-mac-and-ipad-prices-spares-iphone-for-now/) — Details Apple’s June 25, 2026 MacBook Air ($1,099→$1,299) and MacBook Pro ($1,699→$1,999) increases.

4. Framework Laptop 13 Pro is a major overhaul for the modular, upgradeable laptop — Ars Technica (https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/framework-laptop-13-pro-is-the-first-major-revision-to-the-original-framework-laptop/) — Provides April 2026 launch context and the $1,199 DIY Edition base price.

5. XPG MARS 970 PLUS PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 SSD — ADATA Datasheet (https://webapi3.adata.com/storage/downloadfile/datasheet_xpg_mars_970_plus_pcie_gen5_x4_m2_ssd_20251205.pdf) — Confirms capacities, 11,000/10,000 MB/s peaks (lower at 1TB), thin‑profile design, and 5‑year warranty.

6. Framework’s Laptop 13 Pro DIY Edition now costs less than before — Tom’s Hardware (https://www.tomshardware.com/laptops/frameworks-laptop-13-pro-diy-edition-now-costs-less-than-before-but-a-cpu-price-hike-might-be-coming-cheaper-pcie-5-0-drives-from-adata-upgrade-customers-from-500gb-to-1tb-for-free) — Notes the Silicon Motion SM2508 controller and adds performance/efficiency context for Gen 5 in laptops.

7. Disk prices double after flood — The Register (https://www.theregister.com/off-prem/2011/11/03/disk-prices-double-after-flood-and-could-double-again/395838) — Documents the 2011 Thai flood HDD shock and rapid OEM price/spec reactions.

8. Hard drive prices slide as Thai flood aftermath subsides — Computerworld (https://www.computerworld.com/article/1471491/hard-drive-prices-slide-as-thai-flood-aftermath-subsides.html) — Tracks the multi‑quarter recovery timeline post‑2011, a template for prolonged component volatility.