Data recovery in the event of a defective logic board is apparently no longer possible with the 2018 models.
As macrumors would like to know from various sources, it is no longer possible with the current MacBook Pro model for Apple to read out the data of the SSD with a tool if it still works, but the rest of the board has given up. Previously there was an extra port on the mainboard that enabled this data recovery, but this is now no longer available, as ifixit also discovered during the teardown of the mentioned model.
Backup, Backup, Backup 😉
macrumors now quotes some sources from Apple’s service environment, all of which state that data recovery is no longer intended. The reason should be the T2 chip, which is not only responsible for controlling the memory chips but also simultaneously encrypts the data. In case of a defect of the board nobody can access your data, because everything is securely encrypted, but nobody can help you to read any important data either. It is no longer possible to remove the SSD because it no longer exists as a single component is soldered directly to the board.
So the bottom line is that you should make regular backups, as always. If you don’t already, buy an external hard drive and turn on Time Machine. If you travel a lot and want to make a backup in the cloud, you should use the excellent backup software Arq. You then have everything that is important to you saved. Because whether Apple can read the data or not, it wouldn’t help you if the MacBook were stolen or example. Hence our tip: combine an external disk with a cloud backup. So you are prepared for most eventualities.
