Design for Repairability
Apple’s MacBooks haven’t always been monolithic, barely repairable slabs of aluminum, glass, and glue. They used to be almost delightful in their repairable features, from their batteries to their Wi-Fi cards. Powerbooks, iBooks, and especially early MacBooks showed what happens when Apple applies its design skills directly to repairability and maintenance, instead of to thinness above all. Today we’re going to take a look at the best repairability features that Apple has ditched.
Aside from the rose-colored repairability glasses, the iBook G3 started at $1299 in 2001. Taking into account inflation, that’s almost $2500 in today’s money. Would you be able look past having a closed system if you can get at least three years of service at 1/4 the price?
These four complaints range from the somewhat quaint — swappable Wi-Fi cards — to the stuff I actually miss, which is everything else. RAM and disk upgrades are a gimme since the cost-per-gigabyte (generally) declines over time, and I would love easily swappable batteries. But right now, nearly four years into owning this MacBook Pro, I would also really like to be able to swap in a new keyboard in the future. Not only are the keycaps unintentionally becoming polished, some oft-used keys feel a little mushy.
As spotted by MacMagazine, the estimated service costs for the new MacBook Neo are now available.
For users without AppleCare, there is a flat fee of $149 for battery service, while other damages will require an inspection[…]
Andrew Cunningham (MacRumors):
One less-advertised change that may make the Neo more appealing to businesses, schools, and the accident-prone is that its internal design is a bit more modular and easier to repair than other modern MacBooks. That’s our takeaway after spending some time thumbing through the official MacBook Neo repair documentation that Apple published on its support site this week.
Replacements for pretty much any component in the Neo are simpler and involve fewer steps and tools than in the M5 MacBook Air. That includes the battery, which in the MacBook Air is attached to the chassis with multiple screws and adhesive strips but which in the Neo comes out relatively easily after you get some shielding and flex cables out of the way.
But the most significant change in the Neo is that the keyboard is its own separate component.
A teardown of the new MacBook Neo by Australian YouTube repair channel Tech Re-Nu reveals what may be the most modular and repair-friendly Mac laptop in recent times.
The Neo is shown being taken apart in just six minutes, suggesting Apple has prioritized simplicity across the board, using standard Torx screws (T3, T5, and T8) and a clean cable routing design.
They only found adhesive on the back of the trackpad — hardly the end of the world. It is a far cry from the glued-in battery of the MacBook Pro.
[…]
This does not entirely invalidate iFixit’s argument, of course. Apple’s laptops used to have replaceable memory and storage, but none of that can be changed post-purchase.
To me, the biggest problem is the SSDs. Not only can you not replace them, but you can’t even use a modern Mac with an external SSD if the internal one is damaged. It bricks the whole computer.
By allowing the Neo to be a bit thicker and heavier, it’s also a lot simpler.
Repair site iFixit did its traditional teardown on the MacBook Neo, and was pleasantly surprised with the laptop’s repairability. “We haven’t been as happy about a MacBook since 2012,” says iFixit.
On a recent episode of “Dithering”, Ben Thompson and John Gruber discuss the Tech Re-Nu teardown of the MacBook Neo and what it reveals about the supposed trade-offs of repairability.
[…]
To summarize: “the price”, it is implied, is that the MacBook Air must be less repairable for it to have good battery life and better performance.
I am less certain.
[…]
My impression of Apple’s approach to repairability is that it was not a high priority for a long time — particularly for products nearer the beginning of their development cycle — and that it argued for trade-offs that were ultimately irrelevant.
Apple earned the lowest grades in a report on laptop and smartphone repairability released today by the consumer advocacy group Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund. The report, which looks at how easy devices are to disassemble and how easy it is to find repairability information, gave Apple a C-minus in laptop repairability and a D-minus in cell phone repairability.
Previously:
- Right to Repair Legislation in 50 States
- 2024 Six Colors Apple Report Card
- Shiny MacBook Keys
- Mac Stuck in Recovery After Login
- Repairing by Replacing
1 Comment RSS · Twitter
I think the point about durability is a good one. Repairability and durability don't have to be mutually exclusive.
The biggest problem is indeed the internal storage, and it's never going to be fixed because it's a business problem and not a technical one. Apple has decided that storage is going to be one area where it reaps its otherwise unprecedented profit margins, so they will never again allow proper replaceable storage.
