13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar teardown shows difficult to repair computer
The first full tear-down of Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar has concluded, with confirmation of a non-removable SSD, and as expected the computer has little possibility of user repairability.
The interior layout differs from the 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys beyond just the SSD being surface mounted, repair guide depot iFixit noted. The Touch Bar model features a physically smaller battery rated at 49.2 Watt-hours versus the 54.5 Watt-hours in the function key model, a pair of fans, a double-ended heat-sink, and lower speakers that have no relation to the purely cosmetic speaker grills in the new unit.
Components and suppliers of note include an Intel-provided JHL6540 Thunderbolt 3 controller, Samsung-provided LPDDR3 RAM, a STMicroelectronics Touch Bar display controller, a Broadcom touch controller, and SanDisk NAND Flash storage. The T1 Touch ID authentication chip that couples with the Touch Bar is labeled APL1023 343S00137.
iFixit also pointed out that as the Touch ID button doubles as a power button, a repair of that system may be "a more costly affair than it once was."
Repairable components include the difficult to remove Touch Bar, the motherboard, USB-C modules, fans, the display in conjunction with the screen assembly, and the trackpad. The battery is glued to the upper case, and is just as difficult to replace as previous models in the Retina MacBook Pro line.
If a keyboard replacement is necessary, it needs to be swapped out with the entire upper case. A new keyboard comes attached to the upper case and includes a new battery glued into place if a repair is needed for any of the included components with the MacBook Pro with Retina display line since 2012.
The interior layout differs from the 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys beyond just the SSD being surface mounted, repair guide depot iFixit noted. The Touch Bar model features a physically smaller battery rated at 49.2 Watt-hours versus the 54.5 Watt-hours in the function key model, a pair of fans, a double-ended heat-sink, and lower speakers that have no relation to the purely cosmetic speaker grills in the new unit.
Components and suppliers of note include an Intel-provided JHL6540 Thunderbolt 3 controller, Samsung-provided LPDDR3 RAM, a STMicroelectronics Touch Bar display controller, a Broadcom touch controller, and SanDisk NAND Flash storage. The T1 Touch ID authentication chip that couples with the Touch Bar is labeled APL1023 343S00137.
iFixit also pointed out that as the Touch ID button doubles as a power button, a repair of that system may be "a more costly affair than it once was."
Repairable components include the difficult to remove Touch Bar, the motherboard, USB-C modules, fans, the display in conjunction with the screen assembly, and the trackpad. The battery is glued to the upper case, and is just as difficult to replace as previous models in the Retina MacBook Pro line.
If a keyboard replacement is necessary, it needs to be swapped out with the entire upper case. A new keyboard comes attached to the upper case and includes a new battery glued into place if a repair is needed for any of the included components with the MacBook Pro with Retina display line since 2012.
Comments
>:x
Yeah, that's a weird, seemingly "unApple" choice. Was there something wrong with the clean lines of the prior model? I can only assume that they wanted shoppers to have a visual clue that the speakers are much better. Bah.
3 years for a computer is nothing unless the cost is $500. I've never known a PC or Mac to fail in its first 3 years if handled well. Except a HDD failure in the first year.
Dropping 3K on a computer means it needs to work for 5-8 years. Used to be, this was possible by throwing in some upgrades every couple of years to improve performance.
The worse thing is the SSD. Not being able to replace the SSD is really concerning to me. A failure will cost dearly.
Steve Jobs used weird screws to keep people out of his Macintosh.
Tim Cook let's you in -- but stops you from doing anything once you get there....
We've been arguing the user modifiable/fixable debate for 20 years (is it 30 already?). But part of that debate that has been ignored is the fact that making a unit non-user fixable or modifiable or upgradeable increases its cost by hastening its obsolescence and death.
A 6 year old Lenovo can be repaired or upgraded to maintain its operability. What about a 6 year old Mac?
It's also important to realize that Jobs and Cook have different motivations for keeping people out of their machines:
- Jobs didn't want people screwing up his careful design
- Cook & Company are obsessed with thin and light designs that necessitate units that are not upgradeable or repairable.
And, that's an important distinction: Anything designed to be non-repairable or upgradeable (even by its own manufacturer) is designed to be disposable. But who wants to pay $1,500 - $3,000 for a disposable laptop? (Especially when there are competitive options available? -- Such as a Chrome Book)
... Jobs focus was: technology is just a means to an end (functionality -- "It just works"). Cook needs to realize that technology is not the end game.
i read somewhere that the lower 1/4 of the speaker grills accommodate tweeters, but that doesn't really explain the other 3/4s of the holes, other than form over function.
I did at 15 months. Mid-2012 15" Pro Retina. The LCD screen.....$368. Never had an issue like it. First, Macbook, it didn't leave a good impression give how common the issue was.
Still a great laptop though.
Then there's my 2011 MBP. I did not get Apple Care, and two years later when I bought my first Thunderbolt drive, discovered the Thunderbolt port didn't supply external power, requiring me to get a powered dock use my portable drive (Apple confirmed it was a manufacturing defect, no longer covered). So you never know when you're going to find out you needed extended coverage. Also -- test every aspect of your new equipment whether you have a need for it or not.
that said, most credit cards will give you an extra year over the 1 year warranty, and even on top of the Apple Care warranty
If you have a look at the demo animations on the Apple website, they show the output from the speakers isn't going anywhere near the grilles, so iFixit didn't have dismantle the laptop to find that out.
But it it does look as though the grilles are near the cooling fans, so maybe they're something to do with keeping the machine cool?
Granted they didn't need grilles before, but maybe they found that the new chipset needed the redesign. Or maybe it isn't the chipset; it could be the fact they've installed a stretched out Apple Watch above the keyboard.
Intriguing.
2) appliance computing is here to stay. laptops will become more like iPads and iPads will get more capable. and ill be completely fine with this. i dont repair my television, either.