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Retina 12-inch MacBook teardowns reveal low repairability
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MacNN Staff
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A pair of new teardowns from iFixit and Laptopultra have revealed few surprises, and conclude that while the machines are easily openable, they are not easily repairable -- a factor that is likely to be very low-priority among potential buyers, given that the lack of moving parts in the unit also greatly improves reliability. While the new MacBook is completely un-upgradeable internally, the included USB Type C port will offer growing flexibility for any needed external connectivity or expandability.
As noted in our First Look hands-on with the Retina MacBook, the device is simply not aimed at users who continually need to plug in expansions or peripherals, as the unit is designed to offload most needs outside its own internal capabilities to wireless or Internet-based services. The complete lack of moving parts -- the MacBook even lacks a fan -- vastly increases the reliability of the unit, but at the same time iFixit notes that the battery cells are glued down, and the RAM, storage and processor are all soldered on to the logic board, preventing any sort of internal upgrading.
The 2015 MacBook (top) with its 2009 cousin
One minor surprise uncovered by the iFixit team was the presence of a battery connector hidden under the minuscule logic board, emulating a design feature found in the iPad. The battery in total offers 5,263mAh, slightly more than the 5,100mAh battery found in the current 11-inch MacBook Air. The company rated the new machine a "one" on a scale of 10 in terms of "repairability," with 10 being the most repairable -- but part of that score dinged the company for things that are essential to the design, like tapered battery cells, and the use of pentalobe screws -- despite the easy availability of pentalobe screwdrivers.
In point of fact, apart from the need for a pentalobe tool, the case is like most other MacBook family devices in that it is very easy to open once the eight screws are removed. Removing the logic board is likewise a matter of disconnecting the keyboard, video, and antenna cables, then removing a few screws, as Laptopultra discovered. The total lack of internal upgradability may put off some buyers, but the USB-C port's 10Gbps speed and bi-directional power means that most external peripherals will work at nearly the speed of internal components, making it less of an issue.
The low score from iFixit is unsurprising, given that the company sells repair tools and services to those interested in fixing or modifying the internals of various computers as its primary business: the less-repairable trend among most recent Mac models has reduced demand for repair services, hand-in-hand with the improved reliability of the machines. However, as noted, internal expandability is not possible, and repairs must be handled by Apple.
The new MacBook comes with an unalterable 8GB of RAM across all versions, approximately double the amount that is still standard in the MacBook Air. Internal storage starts at 256GB, again double the included Air storage, but can be ordered with 512GB storage and a faster processor for an additional $300 if preferred.
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Last edited by NewsPoster; Apr 15, 2015 at 04:54 PM.
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Grizzled Veteran
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The good news is that the 8 Gig of stock memory should be enough, so users aren't stuck with paying Apple's inflated prices for increasing 4 Gig to 8 Gig. The bad news is that ridiculous single port. which forces many users to deal with the clutter of adapter boxes and cables. That's ridiculous in a light-weight laptop. So-called simplicity for Apple becomes unnecessary complexity for users.
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Author of Untangling Tolkien and Chesterton on War and Peace
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Grizzled Veteran
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Apple does make other laptops that meet 100% of the things you mention (ports galore, lightweight, reduced need for adapters, etc.).
This is not the only laptop that Apple makes, but we get it by now -- you don't like it and it's not for you.
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Mac Elite
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How dare Apple not consult Inkling before designing their laptops!
It's a pity he doesn't quite understand there are markets that are lucrative that aren't him. Apple will sell a ton of those things, because the sort of people who would buy them have little need for even that single port, apart from for charging purposes.
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Charles Martin
MacNN Editor
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Senior User
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At first I didn't get this product, especially at the price point. But, a friend pointed out how crazy-portable it is for what it can do, as well as the quality of the components (i.e.: screen) and extra RAM, etc. And, the big thing.... NO MOVING PARTS. Unless there is some manufacturing defect, these things should last a long, long time!
That's why I stopped by this silly article. It's kind of a, DUH, but also it doesn't need high-repairability as it shouldn't ever need repaired.
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Ham Sandwich
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Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson
And, the big thing.... NO MOVING PARTS. Unless there is some manufacturing defect...
Like defective flash drives, defective logic boards, poor GPU solder connections... nah, couldn't happen.
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Mac Elite
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And.reg: sure they COULD happen, but the odds of them happening are lower than before. Everything you just mentioned is also a risk factor on the MacBook Air ... does it seem to you that the MBA line has been plagued with these issues? It's been Apple's best selling notebook almost since the day it came out, five years ago. Doesn't seem to be an issue, and Apple has five years of experience making them ...
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Charles Martin
MacNN Editor
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Ham Sandwich
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Originally Posted by Charles Martin
does it seem to you that the MBA line has been plagued with these issues?
Yes. Mainly defective hard drives (three in a row). The others refer to my experiences with a Pro Macbook that also had a flash drive.
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Clinically Insane
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Originally Posted by And.reg
Yes. Mainly defective hard drives (three in a row). The others refer to my experiences with a Pro Macbook that also had a flash drive.
Defective logic boards and poor GPU solder connections have all happened in the past, and they required replacing the main logic board. Same as now. Zero change.
Defective flash drives could be replaced preciously and are now soldered onto the MLB; this is a change and requires replacing the MLB as well.
What was the source of Flash drive failure in your MacBook Air? Three dead drives in a row would generally indicate that the drives are not the problem.
It's worth noting that the new MacBook has an Apple custom firmware controller chip, so they are moving responsibility and SSD development in-house - with good reason, probably.
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Ham Sandwich
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Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot
What was the source of Flash drive failure in your MacBook Air? Three dead drives in a row would generally indicate that the drives are not the problem.
I have no idea. What would be your conjecture?
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