The new M4 MacBook Air might be a great upgrade in performance and pricing, but unfortunately, it’s still far from easy to repair. iFixit has released its teardown results for the latest MacBook, calling it “a mix of good intentions and frustrating limitations that continues to fall short of what consumers deserve in a premium laptop.”
Apple released an updated MacBook Air earlier this month, with a nearly identical design as the previous generation, but with some under-the-hood improvements and a lower starting price of $999. It now has Apple’s M4 chip, which showed up first on the iPad Pro and is also found in the latest Mac Mini, paired with at least 16GB of unified memory. Apple also updated the webcam to a 12MP lens. Other than that, it’s pretty much the same computer as the M3 MacBook Air.
iFixit’s teardown reveals the MacBook Air’s internal design has changed about as much as the exterior design. That is to say, it has not changed much. A battery replacement still requires removing four screws on the bottom cover, “some careful prying,” and removing the stretch-release adhesive under the battery. The improved adhesive Apple is using in the latest iPhones hasn’t made its way to the MacBook, and if one of the pull tabs come apart while taking the battery out, you need to use isopropyl alcohol to remove the remaining adhesive.
iFixit said in a blog post, “This is the same design we saw on the M3 models, which were a massive improvement over the M2 models for one key reason: the battery cable, which runs under the logic board, isn’t glued down. That pesky glued-in cable required full logic board removal in order to access the battery on the M2 Airs, totally negating the utility of the screws and pull tabs. We’re happy to see Apple continue with no adhesive here, making battery repairs relatively painless.”
Related
Why I Picked a Mac Mini and an iPad Over the MacBook Air
Apple’s new Mac mini isn’t supposed to compete with the MacBook Air but its extra small footprint, powerful M4 chip, and reasonable cost lured me in. Here’s why you too should consider the Mac mini and iPad Pro lifestyle.
Thankfully, the M4 MacBook Air does at least have ports that are easy to repair and replace. The MagSafe and USB Type-C connectors are individual components that can be taken out, without a soldering iron or other invasive repair. Those ports receive plenty of wear and tear in a normal laptop lifespan, so it’s great that Apple made it fairly easy to swap them out over time. Most laptops solder ports directly to the motherboard, but a few other manufacturers have improved in this area, such as Dell’s latest Pro laptops.
The rest of the MacBook Air is still tricky to repair, though. Storage and memory replacements and upgrades are still out of the question, as memory is fully integrated into the M4 chipset (like with all previous Apple Silicon hardware), and the storage using a proprietary technology. Screen repairs are also a “complex, multi-step process buried deeper within the device than should be necessary,” and replacing most components still requires Apple’s System Configuration tool.
iFixit has bestowed a 5/10 repairability rating on the M4 MacBook Air, since Apple does provide repair manuals and some parts are easily replaceable, but it loses points for difficulty with the battery, screen, software locks, and keyboard. If a repairable and user-upgradable laptop is what you’re after, Framework’s computers are still by far the best option among modern laptops in the consumer market.
Source: iFixit
