Teardowns of Late 2013 Retina MacBook Pros Reveal No Improvements in Accessibility

[MacRumors]

iFixit has performed more of its traditional high-quality teardowns on both the new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro and new 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, revealing various improvements to the components of both that enhance performance, but also unsurprisingly make both harder to manually repair.

One of the more interesting changes relative to the new 13-inch model is that Apple has apparently reversed its decision to move the 13-inch model's battery away from the trackpad as seen in the previous generation of the laptop, instead choosing to glue the entire battery assembly into the case. This design is very similar to the battery of the original 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, which was heavily criticized by iFixit for being extremely difficult and time-consuming to remove without puncturing the cells.

13-inch Retina MacBook Pro​

As Apple stated during its press event, the new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro now uses faster PCIe flash storage, but is still proprietary as seen in the previous generation and does not allow for easy replacement. Other changes to the new version of the laptop include Intel's i5 Haswell processor and Iris Graphics, the inclusion of only one fan as opposed to two in the last generation, a rearranged cabling system, and a slight update to the MagSafe 2 connector.

15-inch Retina MacBook Pro​

Meanwhile, the new 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro reveals a similar internal layout to the 13-inch model, but includes higher grade components such as Intel's i7 Haswell processor and Iris Pro graphics. The glued-in battery system and the soldered RAM as seen in the previous generation are also still included, which indicates that no improvements have been made to the accessibility of the new model.

Overall, the teardowns of both new Retina MacBook Pros otherwise yield few surprises compared to the previous models, and the similar challenges of proprietary pentalobe screws, soldered RAM, an integrated display, and glued-in battery system have led iFixit to award each of the new 13-inch and 15-inch models a repairability score of 1 out of 10. Compared to the teardowns of last year's models, the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro has scored one point lower than the last generation, while the 15-inch MacBook Pro scored the same as the previous model.

Article Link: Teardowns of Late 2013 Retina MacBook Pros Reveal No Improvements in Accessibility

 

[macs4nw]

Many of us don't care. Applecare to the rescue.

 

[Osullivan1]

Surprise!!!

It's the exact same thing as them locking people into using the App Store if they want apps - you need to use AppleCare if you want repairs.

 

[Quu]

I've ordered one and I do have to say it frustrates me that the battery is glued in as there is no way at all I'll be able to service it myself requiring me to take it to the closest Apple store which is miles away as Apple do not offer shipping for battery replacement in the UK which is unbelievable to me.

Be fun replacing the battery in 3 years, not.

 

[Accord3]

i am more pissed at the soldered in RAM rather than glued in battery.

 

[bbplayer5]

I repair Apple Computers for a living... honestly, this doesn't look all that bad. The glued in battery may be a bit of a pain, but its only glued in once right?

 

[tkermit]

This now seems like an eternity ago – an access door allowing for super easy access to the hard drive, battery and RAM:

:/

 

[BillyBobBongo]

i am more pissed at the soldered in RAM rather than glued in battery.

Aye, the rest doesn't bother me one bit. But you should always be able to update your own RAM.

 

[TouchMint.com]

Apple has no reason to make any parts user accessible.

Harder to design/assemble
Less profit to make off huge markups on upgrades

If Apple is smart they will continue to make things harder and harder to upgrade.

 

[WaxedJacket]

I'm still amazed at how small the logic boards are. And yet we're all still rocking these fairly large desktops from dell/hp or homebrew

 

[wkadamsjr]

This now seems like an eternity ago – an access door allowing for super easy access to the hard drive, battery and RAM:

:/

Actually, you still had to remove the other piece in order to access the RAM. 8 screws I believe. Still, much better for consumers who prefer to upgrade themselves rather than pay a ton to Apple.

 

[keysofanxiety]

This now seems like an eternity ago – an access door allowing for super easy access to the hard drive, battery and RAM:

:/

The RAM was located on the other side, and you had to take the screws out.

Furthermore, if you look at the size of the batteries in even their cMBPs these days, you'll see why they can't have the same level of accessibility.

Not justifying it by any means, but I can definitely see how a user-replaceable battery in the newer Mac notebooks can cause more problems than it solves.

 

[ghost187]

First off let me start by saying I ordered the ultimate version of the 15 inch rMBP, but I would definitely rather have the old 15 Mbp with same updated internals and a blu ray drive. Yep I said it, blu ray!

 

[639051]

Shocking!!!!

/s

I'm not sure why they would think in this format anything is going to be accessible. The rest of the ultrathin market doesn't have user serviceable parts either.

I guess I get lost on what people want these days. You can have super thin stuff, but it isn't going to be user friendly to repair. The Dell XPS 13 I bought for a friend is the same way. It is the same thickness as this device, and you better believe it doesn't have a single user serviceable part in it.

 

[uniq]

I'm in a state of shock. I didn't see that coming at all.

 

[kitsunestudios]

If Apple is smart they will continue to make things harder and harder to upgrade.

Diminishing returns though. Lower resale value, lack of upgrades or off-warranty repairs all factor into total cost of ownership when people are choosing a computer.

Personally, I just hope Apple sticks with a single PCI-E SSD form factor across the line, so that OWC will be more likely to produce third party storage options.

 

[hammm]

Is it me or is the 13" fan MUCH bigger than the last gen model?

Late 2012 model

Late 2013 model

Here's to hoping that it'll be powerful enough to keep things cool

 

[scott911]

don't get me wrong - I think it sucks that it's not easier to update items myself.

But the flip side is this: A glued in battery becomes part of the shell''s structure - contributes to the computer's rigidity.

If the battery was not glued, the case would have to be thicker - perhaps significant to support cast in webbing. And the the unit would be heavier for same reason...

 

[Lesser Evets]

I'm amazed at how small the laptops are getting.

I'm also amazed at how big the laptops still are. If Apple could ditch Intel and design their own "system on a chip" for their laptops and other Macs, the size of these devices could shrivel down and become… iPads.

The road to self-sufficient Apple, making efficient and compact computers via their own CPU/GPU design, is probably a priority in the upper halls and offices. Can't wait to see what comes in another 5 years, and I'm loving the design of these thin MacBooks.

 

[troop231]

Is it me or is the 13" fan MUCH bigger than the last gen model?

Late 2012 model

Late 2013 model

Here's to hoping that it'll be powerful enough to keep things cool

My guess is the new single fan produces the same amount or more of airflow as the previous dual fans.

 

[Medic311]

i'm an engineer (not electrical though), and when i look at pics like that above...it's really quite astounding the amount of brilliant hardware engineering that went into that laptop.

i look at my $375 Acer i've been using since 2011...and i laugh lol. but hey it works haha

 

[Quu]

The RAM was located on the other side, and you had to take the screws out.

Furthermore, if you look at the size of the batteries in even their cMBPs these days, you'll see why they can't have the same level of accessibility.

Not justifying it by any means, but I can definitely see how a user-replaceable battery in the newer Mac notebooks can cause more problems than it solves.

Is it so hard just to hold the battery in with screws instead of glue? They don't need to include latching mechanisms and quick releases and support structures. Just keep it like it is but put screws there like they did in the 2008-2012 Unibody non-Retina MBP's.

I have a 2009 Model which supposedly had a "non-user serviceable battery" and yet I serviced it quite easily by buying the official Apple battery for it, opening my case, whipping out three screws and putting the new battery in and connecting it to the motherboard. It took me literally 5 minutes to do.

With these new machines that use Glue there is no way a user is going to attempt it, you could pierce the battery cells or rip through your touchpad cable so this means a trip to local Apple store right?

Well I just checked the closest Apple Store to me is 6.8 Miles away according to Apples website so I figure that's not too bad, I check their site for Genius appointments and I get "This store has no appointments available" so I look at the 2nd closest, 11 Miles away. I check their genius appointments "This store has no appoints available".

I mean ???? ridiculous. The site doesn't even seem to let you schedule an appointment in the distant future like weeks away from today, it just says there's nothing available with no other options to do anything.

I understand they want to make money but the glue just seems totally unnecessary when screws would suffice and make everyone's lives a lot easier, theirs having to replace them, ours getting them replaced etc

btw I also checked local dealers who are authorised to do Apple repairs and on the very first site I checked they say they don't do battery replacements on Retina MacBook Pro's because the battery is glued in so it has to be an official Apple Store for this kind of thing or a very reputable authorised dealer willing to take chances I guess.

 

[cgk.emu]

Surprise!!!

It's the exact same thing as them locking people into using the App Store if they want apps - you need to use AppleCare if you want repairs.

They don't lock you in.

 

[FuNGi]

Interesting... So in the 16GB RAM models they put the other half of the RAM directly underneath the logic board (as appears in previous model). Interesting to know how they double and quadruple the SSD capacity – I assume they use four double-density (i.e. 128GB NAND modules) for the 512GB models but what about the 1TB ones?? Do they squeeze in a separate blade somewhere? Perhaps that's why they ditched a fan in the 13"?

 

[unplugme71]

People want thinner lighter and faster. Well here you go folks.