M3 14-inch MacBook Pro teardown shows few internal changes in new models

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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in Current Mac Hardware

A teardown of the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 chips reveals no real changes to the way it's constructed for the M3 Pro model, but that the new Space Black coating is more interesting than first thought.

14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Pro [left], M3 [right] [via iFixit]
14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Pro [left], M3 [right] [via iFixit]



The ritualistic teardown and internal inspection of the new MacBook Pro has taken place, providing a way to learn about Apple's considerations for product design. As a spec-bump update to the lineup, there's unsurprisingly not that much new about the changed models.

Repair outfit iFixit looked at the M3 and M3 Pro versions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro in a video published on Friday. The eight-minute video shows x-ray images of the new models, as well as the disassembly process.

Initial x-rays show a big internal difference between the M3 and M3 Pro versions. While the M3 Pro has two fans for cooling down the chip, the M3 uses only one, along with a shorter heatsink.

Rather than let that empty space go to waste, the M3 expands the logic board into that area.



Taking off the cover and ignoring the fan change, the insides still consist of mostly modular sections, though one missing Thunderbolt port on the M3 is spottable.

With pull tabs in the usual spots for the battery, ZIF connectors and screws for the logic board, and screws in many other places, the MacBook Pro can be quickly taken apart. With the exception of the SD card reader and HDMI ports being modular, most of the components could be feasibly replaced, albeit with the continuation of pairing issues.

The base M3 board is noted to have two flash storage modules, which theoretically eliminates the speed bottlenecks of the M2 Air, which had one.

On user repairs, it's explained that switching the screens may not be something that owners can do, as an attempt resulted in artifacting that seemingly can only be fixed using Apple's calibration tools, which are only used by Apple itself.

Other elements that are locked own include the Touch ID and lid angle sensors, which are paired to the logic board.

iFixit gives the new models a provisional "Repairability" score of four out of ten, on the expectation that parts and manuals will be provided via Self Service Repair channels.

Space Black changes



Apple's anodization and etching process was drilled down on in a blog post, explaining how the new Space Black coating works.

Typical anodization adds a protective oxide layer to aluminum, creating a rough surface made of microscopic bumps. During the process, dyes can be added to introduce colors, but in the case of Space Black, it's actually a very dark grey.

While the anodization bumps does diffuse light and help make the surface seem darker, helping deepen the shade of the dye used in the process, Apple takes an extra step to deepen the color.

By using etching, Apple increased the severity of the bumps to create an extremely uneven surface, diffusing light even more. With less light heading to the user's eyes, the surface seems even darker than the dyed version.

The extra bumps may also be why the surface is now more fingerprint-resistant than usual. It's reckoned that the increased pit depth and higher raised portions of the surface reduces the amount of actually touchable surface, minimizing the amount that comes into contact with the user's hands.

While it cannot completely eliminate traces of fingerprints, the etching does help reduce the presence of prints in the first place.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    XedXed Posts: 2,571member
    I don't think we'll see much in terms of visual changes going forward. The notebook design has long been established and with M-series chips now in play the biggest differentiator will be how the M-series chips are designed for future performance and efficiency. Maybe it's not as exciting as it used to be in terms of a teardown reveal, but it's great place to be with mature CE.
    dewmewilliamlondonFileMakerFellerAlex1N
  • Reply 2 of 8
    nubusnubus Posts: 386member
    Xed said:
    I don't think we'll see much in terms of visual changes going forward. 
    Change will come. The current MBP is a fantastic computer, but the design is rather bottom-heavy and too rounded. In a few years Apple will need a new design to sell products and in 2027 EU (yes... here they are again) will force Apple to make laptop batteries replaceable by users.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 3 of 8
    XedXed Posts: 2,571member
    nubus said:
    Xed said:
    I don't think we'll see much in terms of visual changes going forward. 
    Change will come. The current MBP is a fantastic computer, but the design is rather bottom-heavy and too rounded. In a few years Apple will need a new design to sell products and in 2027 EU (yes... here they are again) will force Apple to make laptop batteries replaceable by users.
    I believe that curve both makes it nice to hold and structurally sound. The curve will change because we do like change, but I don't expect it to change without benefiting the overall structure.
    nubuswilliamlondonsphericFileMakerFellerAlex1N
  • Reply 4 of 8
    thttht Posts: 5,452member
    nubus said:
    Xed said:
    I don't think we'll see much in terms of visual changes going forward. 
    Change will come. The current MBP is a fantastic computer, but the design is rather bottom-heavy and too rounded. In a few years Apple will need a new design to sell products and in 2027 EU (yes... here they are again) will force Apple to make laptop batteries replaceable by users.
    I believe Apple’s current laptop, tablet and phone designs will meet the EU’s upcoming replaceable battery requirements. The pull tabs and the iPhone 14,15 internal structural frame will do the trick.

    As for the current MBP design, I think they should remain bottom heavy and actually would look better with a little larger radius on the round for the bottom edge. Being bottom heavy makes it much easier to open the laptop and they should continue to make it so. 

    Yeah, they will have a change in industrial design in a year or two. I’ll miss the current design. They may want to have something that is visually different for the OLED models. Then, there are a few features that they can implement with camera+sensor systems, and may have to resort to camera bumps sticking out of the display. 

    There is going to be continuing pressure to keep the cooling system highly performant, if not more performant. So, I don’t think they will get lighter or thinner due to this. 120 to 150 W peak power consumption may be in play. 

    This is just the traditional clamshell form factor. There’s a big open space of design out there that they can try if they want to. 
    williamlondonFileMakerFellerAlex1N
  • Reply 5 of 8
    MikeJBMikeJB Posts: 9member
    Regarding the opinion,  "120 to 150 W peak power consumption may be in play." I doubt seriously that Apple Silicon will EVER return to those power hungry wattage designs again.
    Alex1N
  • Reply 6 of 8
    XedXed Posts: 2,571member
    MikeJB said:
    Regarding the opinion,  "120 to 150 W peak power consumption may be in play." I doubt seriously that Apple Silicon will EVER return to those power hungry wattage designs again.
    That is happening with the desktop Macs running Apple Silicon so it is possible, just not a requirement like it used to be, and I can see if happening, especially if we get a nice bump in battery density tech. It's all about maximizing performance within a battery life window within a reasonable volume and weight.
    edited November 2023 FileMakerFellerAlex1N
  • Reply 7 of 8
    thttht Posts: 5,452member
    Xed said:
    MikeJB said:
    Regarding the opinion,  "120 to 150 W peak power consumption may be in play." I doubt seriously that Apple Silicon will EVER return to those power hungry wattage designs again.
    That is happening with the desktop Macs running Apple Silicon so it is possible, just not a requirement like it used to be, and I can see if happening, especially if we get a nice bump in battery density tech. It's all about maximizing performance within a battery life window within a reasonable volume and weight.
    The M3 Max MBP16 consumes about 120 Watts sustained running stressing CPU+GPU loads, with peaks even in the 140 W range. The efficiency and density gains are decreasing with every new node. It's inevitable that Apple will inch up a few more Watts. Apple may choose not to play, hence I said "may", but there will be a lot of competitive pressure to inch up.

    SRAM isn't scaling much anymore. Seems inevitable that Apple will have take SLC off the die and go the stacking route a la AMD. You may see that "UltraFusion" silicon bridge for SLC cache next, using stacked SRAM fabbed on an n-1 fab.

    MikeJB, 150W is about half what workstation PC laptops use. They are hovering around 240 to 300 Watts these days. There will come a time when even the power adaptors for these PC gaming/workstation laptops will come with fans.

    For the vast majority of users, workloads for MBP14/16 users will be around 30 to 60 Watts, but they have to design for the niche users that stress all parts of the system. Those cases will be in the 120 to 150 Watt range. They are not far from it with the M3 Max now. This is why the cooling system on the MBP14/16 looks so large, takes up so much space, and are heavier than prior Macs and competitor laptops.
    FileMakerFeller
  • Reply 8 of 8
    sphericspheric Posts: 2,564member
    tht said:
    Xed said:
    MikeJB said:
    Regarding the opinion,  "120 to 150 W peak power consumption may be in play." I doubt seriously that Apple Silicon will EVER return to those power hungry wattage designs again.
    That is happening with the desktop Macs running Apple Silicon so it is possible, just not a requirement like it used to be, and I can see if happening, especially if we get a nice bump in battery density tech. It's all about maximizing performance within a battery life window within a reasonable volume and weight.
    The M3 Max MBP16 consumes about 120 Watts sustained running stressing CPU+GPU loads, with peaks even in the 140 W range. The efficiency and density gains are decreasing with every new node. It's inevitable that Apple will inch up a few more Watts. Apple may choose not to play, hence I said "may", but there will be a lot of competitive pressure to inch up.
    The 16" M2 Max MBP peaks at around 145W. 

    edited November 2023 FileMakerFeller
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