For comparison, theIntel 16-inch MacBook Pro from 2019scored a risible 1/10.
It’s mostly about the battery,iFixits Olivia Webbtold Lifewire via email.
This battery is easy to access, and has stretch-release adhesive with pull tabs instead of hard glue.
Apple
Repairability
Repairability isnt just about taking your pentalobe screwdriver to the case of your system.
Repairability is inherent in the design.
Computers like theFairPhone smartphoneare built from many discrete parts, any of which can be easily replaced.
iFixit
MacBooks and iPhones are the opposite.
The amazing performance of Apples computers is largely down to integration.
Many previously discrete components are now combined onto a single circuit board.
iFixit
Apple isnt kidding when it calls the M1 a system-on-a-chip (SoC).
The M1 design puts the chips, the RAM, and even the SSD storage into one package.
The upside of this is speed, low power consumption, and size.
The downside is you have to replace the whole unit if one part goes bad.
This also means its impossible for the user to upgrade their own computer.
If you need more storage or RAM down the line, then tough.
You cant add itshort of taping an external SSD to the computers lid.
The battery is the one thing that every laptop is going to need replaced, eventually.
Prioritizing its removal shows some concern for both the customer, and for common sense, says Webb.
Battery Power
The MacBook Pro now has pull tabs that release the battery for easy replacement.
Display replacement is also easier, and the display cables have more slack to avoid breakage.
Also, the Touch ID unit can be swapped outalthough only Apple has the know-how to activate it.
And finally, those new HDMI ports and SD card slots are modular, and can be replaced.
Does this signal a change of heart at Apple?
Are we entering a new golden age of repairability?
And thats unlikely to change any time soon.
