Earlier this week, the brand new, redesigned 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro went under the knife as the iFixit crew went through the teardown process. That was just a preview of what was to come, though, and now we finally have the full teardown.
The initial indication that Apple may have improved the overall repairability of the new MacBook Pro models turns out to be true. iFixit revealed, though, that while the repairability has been improved, it’s still a tough nut to crack, and the overall score itself is a bit harder to nail down. As previously discovered, the new MacBook Pro models have pull tabs with the battery, making that part easier to remove (as well as to get to the batteries).
The new video, which you can watch above, shows us what it’s like to take apart the new MacBook Pro, including removing the battery, removing the trackpad and logic board, and shows off the new display cable design. The teardown goes beyond that, though, showing off removing the display, the fans, and speakers.
From the included description with the video:
Last year we got our first look at Apple’s M1 silicon, and as the reviews came in we could feel change on the horizon. The performance gains Apple made by integrating their custom silicon with ultra-fast memory were incredible. We held off on assigning them a repairability score at the time, but now with fully-redesigned M1 MacBook Pros on our table, we’re determined to pin these things down on the repairability scale.
The battery is easier to remove and replace, which is good. However, there is some general difficulty opening the case itself, and the pentalobe screws aren’t great. The good news is that the logic board is easier to remove and replace once you get inside. Interestingly, there’s no method to replace Touch ID without losing the functionality, and the same can be said for replacing the display without losing True Tone functionality.
So, while it was somewhat tougher to nail down the repairability score this time around, they did land on a 4 out of 10. That might not seem great, all things considered, but it is an improvement from the 1 out of 10 score previous MacBook Pro models have earned from the crew.
Did you pick up a new MacBook Pro? If so, which model did you go with?