Transcend Debuts JetDrive SSD Upgrade Kits Up to 960GB for MacBook Air, Retina Macbook Pro

Friday April 25, 2014 11:56 am PDT by Juli Clover

Transcend has introduced new JetDrive SSD upgrade kits designed for the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro with Retina display. The upgrade kits offer up to 960GB of internal storage capacity and come with both installation tools and instructions.

JetDrive kits also ship with an aluminum USB 3.0 enclosure, which allows upgraders to reuse their original SSD, and all kits include a five year warranty.

Stop shuffling around your files and fretting about storage space. Transcend's JetDrive SSD upgrade kits offer up to 960GB of storage capacity. Upgrading your Mac to a JetDrive SSD ensures you'll have plenty of space for all your favorite music, videos, and photos.

The JetDrive SSDs are able to take advantage of JetDrive Toolbox monitoring software, which keeps track of the health of the drive and enables TRIM support for optimum write speeds and SSD life. JetDrive SSDs also have maximum read speeds of 495MB/s and maximum write speeds of 495MB/s.

The company has three separate products for early MacBook Airs, mid–2012 MacBook Airs, and mid-2012 Retina Macbook Pros, in multiple capacities. While mid–2012 MacBook Airs and Retina MacBook Pros can be upgraded with 240, 480, or 960 GB of storage space, earlier MacBook Airs (late 2010 and mid–2011) are limited to 240 or 480 GB. Transcend's JetDrive kits are not PCIe and are not compatible with the most recently released 2013 MacBook Airs and Retina MacBook Pros.

Transcend's JetDrives can be found on Amazon.com, with prices ranging from $190 for the lower end upgrade to $600 for the higher end upgrade. Ordering information and specific links can be accessed on Transcend's website, but the 960 GB SSDs have yet to make their way to Amazon.

Popular Stories

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by Juli Clover

Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...

• 20 comments

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by Hartley Charlton

Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...

• 6 comments

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol

In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...

• 71 comments

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick

Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

• 86 comments

Apple Sports App on iPhone Now Available in More European Countries

Monday November 17, 2025 6:27 am PST by Joe Rossignol

The free Apple Sports app on the iPhone was released in additional European countries today, including Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Ukraine, and others. The app was already available in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Austria, France, Germany,...

• 22 comments

Apple Releases New Firmware for 140W USB-C Power Adapter, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad

Tuesday November 18, 2025 1:05 pm PST by Juli Clover

Apple today released updated firmware for several accessories, including the 140W USB-C Power Adapter, the Magic Trackpad 2, the Magic Trackpad USB-C, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad. There is no word on what's included in the updated firmware at this time, but it could offer performance improvements and security updates. Accessory...

• 78 comments

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 Wi-Fi Speeds: New Study Reveals the Winner

Tuesday November 18, 2025 10:53 am PST by Joe Rossignol

A new study has revealed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air achieve significantly faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, thanks to Apple's custom-designed N1 chip. The study was conducted by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest website and app. It said the results are based on global, crowdsourced Speedtest user data...

• 46 comments

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by Mitchel Broussard

We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...

• 3 comments

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Tuesday November 18, 2025 7:32 am PST by Mitchel Broussard

We're getting closer to Black Friday, which lands next week on Friday, November 28. In the lead-up to the shopping holiday, we're tracking a few lowest-ever prices on Apple's most popular Macs, including the M4 MacBook Air and brand new M5 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...

• 1 comments

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by Juli Clover

Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...

• 73 comments

Top Rated Comments

TranscendInfo

151 months ago

Hello Everyone!
This is Transcend's Official MacRumors account. We'd love to answer any questions you might have!

Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

TranscendInfo

151 months ago

“ JetDrive SSDs deliver the performance you need.”

They're not PCIe and the don't really deliver performance...

Hi treichert,
You'll be pleasantly surprised that our JetDrive SSDs are significantly faster than OEM Apple SSDs. For example, our 480GB JetDrive 520 installed in a 128GB Mid 2012 MacBook Air boosted sequential read speeds from 403 MB/s to 490 MB/s and sequential write speeds from 150 MB/s to 422 MB/s*. We'll be providing samples to various media for third party testing to substantiate our claims as well.

*Tested with Blackmagic Disk Speed Test

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

maflynn

151 months ago

JetDrive SSDs deliver the performance you need.

They're not PCIe and the don't really deliver performance...

My SATAIII SSDs is quite fast so while you may not be pleased with that. I'd say a SATA SSD is going to be faster then a SATA HD. So in a sense they are delivering performance. Just not to your liking.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Binarymix

151 months ago

So NOT for the 2013 Macbook Air :(

They need to get 3rd party SSD's for the 2013 models!!!

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

TranscendInfo

150 months ago

Everything has been tried. It was inserted properly and retried several times. If you look at the stock Apple drive, there's plenty of room for it to fit. That is not the case with your drive, as is quite evident in the side-by-side shot.

I've already requested the return to Amazon. Shipping back tomorrow. Don't see the point of discussing this matter further. This was the first time I've purchased a product made by Transcend. "One chance to make the right impression." G'luck with that.

Hello endlessct9a,
Thank you for your feedback on this issue. Again, we would like to apologize for the inconvenience we have caused you. We take such matters very seriously here at Transcend, and we’d like to take some time to explain our findings after thoroughly investigating this issue.

What we’ve found:

1. 13” Retina MacBook Pros are not affected by this issue since the SSD is located in it’s own plastic tray beneath the trackpad. Transcend’s JetDrive 720 is fully compatible with the 13” MacBook Pro with Retina display.

2. JetDrive 500 and 520 are not affected by this issue.

3. We have found that on some 15” Retina MacBook Pros, Apple’s assembly tolerances may allow for the motherboard to be shifted slightly to the right, decreasing the clearance between the speaker and the back of the SSD. The reduced clearance caused by the shifted motherboard will prevent our JetDrive 720 from seating correctly since it is 0.5mm longer than the stock SSD. We are therefore announcing that our JetDrive 720 is currently incompatible with the 15” MacBook Pro with Retina display.

Our next steps:
1. We will change all Amazon listings and our own website to reflect this issue.
2. We will redesign our JetDrive 720 PCB to be the exact length as the stock SSD, making it fully compatible with both the 13” and 15” MacBook Pro with Retina display.

We have attached a few photos to illustrate the above issues. (imgur link (http://transcendinfo.imgur.com/all/))

13" MacBook Pro with Retina display

Stock SSD