2018 13-Inch MacBook Pro Teardown Finds Larger Battery, Redesigned Power Adapter, Tweaked Top Case and More

[curtvaughan]

Go one step even better Bring back the chime when you start the Mac.

You know, sometimes it's the "little" things that count, especially when you add them all up: the Apple chime (not "needed", but uniquely announced "Apple Here"), the lit logo (ditto), magsafe power port and connector, USB ports, SD card port, 3.5 mm phone jacks (still around on the Macs and iPads, bye bye iPhones), user replaceable batteries, upgradable parts, smoothly functioning keyboards, superb customer service. Mostly little things - now gone - all add up.

 

[Guy Clark]

Huh. Definitely consumer level normal AppleCare. I guess Japan's delivery service infrastructure is just really good because of how small and concentrated the country is.

This was (one of) my experience (after talking to AppleCare on the phone and setting up service).
Monday 10am. They ring your doorbell, you put your computer in a special pack they bring. Takes 1 min.
Monday 10:01am They leave...
Tuesday 4pm Doorbell rings, take your computer out of special packaging. Sign for computer.
4:01 Finished.

You can call the delivery company and organise a different time if you won't be home. They won't leave the package at your door. You can even call the driver direct and set it up with the driver.

This guy had a very different experience relating to the VESA mount for the iMac Pro

 

[jeremiah256]

Huh. Definitely consumer level normal AppleCare. I guess Japan's delivery service infrastructure is just really good because of how small and concentrated the country is.

This was (one of) my experience (after talking to AppleCare on the phone and setting up service).
Monday 10am. They ring your doorbell, you put your computer in a special pack they bring. Takes 1 min.
Monday 10:01am They leave...
Tuesday 4pm Doorbell rings, take your computer out of special packaging. Sign for computer.
4:01 Finished.

You can call the delivery company and organise a different time if you won't be home. They won't leave the package at your door. You can even call the driver direct and set it up with the driver.

Yes, Japan's delivery service infrastructure **is** that good, for just about everything.

 

[curtvaughan]

This guy had a very different experience relating to the VESA mount for the iMac Pro

That's a classic, and it speaks to the issue of difficult repairability of Apple hardware. Even the Apple and Apple certified repair shops have issues with the latest hardware. Glued and soldered parts, proprietary screws and casings, and delicate, thin hardware make the computers hard to fix. That is especially a concern with expensive hardware like the MBP and the iMac Pro. Either make the things repairable by qualified hardware technicians, or sell the devices with a money back and/or replacement warranty. IMHO, the guy in the video should have been given a replacement for his broken computer.

 

[Peperino]

Shame on Apple...
The Macbooks have Soldered RAM and HD. So not only they are NOT user upgradable, but they are more difficult and costly to repair.
NOT only is a problem for repair, but you cannot start with a lower configuration and add as you need like many other laptops, and like old Apple use to be.

It is such a shame and disgusting that Apple is not having user-upgradble Macbooks, since it only encourages consumism.

Same thing they did with the iMac Pro. An iMac Pro can cost up to 12k but the HD cannot be upgraded...Really??

What a joke...!!

 

[Guy Clark]

That's a classic, and it speaks to the issue of difficult repairability of Apple hardware. Even the Apple and Apple certified repair shops have issues with the latest hardware. Glued and soldered parts, proprietary screws and casings, and delicate, thin hardware make the computers hard to fix. That is especially a concern with expensive hardware like the MBP and the iMac Pro. Either make the things repairable by qualified hardware technicians, or sell the devices with a money back and/or replacement warranty. IMHO, the guy in the video should have been given a replacement for his broken computer.

He did receive a replacement iMac Pro as he was still not satisfied as there were scratches underneath where the stand had been removed and replaced with the VESA mount

 

[smoking monkey]

You know, sometimes it's the "little" things that count, especially when you add them all up: the Apple chime (not "needed", but uniquely announced "Apple Here"), the lit logo (ditto), magsafe power port and connector, USB ports, SD card port, 3.5 mm phone jacks (still around on the Macs and iPads, bye bye iPhones), user replaceable batteries, upgradable parts, smoothly functioning keyboards, superb customer service. Mostly little things - now gone - all add up.

- No apple chime is awesome. you know how many times that chime has interrupted meetings or woken up my wife? Too bloody many! My iMac still does it (still on Sierra) and if upgrading to HS gets rid of it, I will do so tomorrow.
- I love the lit apple logo, but I never look at the back of my computer when using it.
- Magsafe... love the magsafe, but at the same time it really annoys me that I can't plug the computer in on the right side. Could be just my use case but this situation has happened way more often than you would expect. So losing magsafe but gaining that flexibility is at least a silver lining.
- USB port... yeah, until everything gets native USBC port cables, this will be an annoyance. Although about the only thing I plug into my computer now is the back up external HD. No worries there, but I often use a work printer which isn't wifi. That will be a pain. I'll need an adaptor.
- SD card. never used that slot, but I guess some do. If you do, that's not great.
- 3.5 Headphone. It's still there on computer. I think it's great them taking it off the iPhone. you still get wired headphones, but really, the AirPods are awesome and using the iPhone with them is so much better. It's a night and day experience.
- upgradable ram and battery. Battery sucks, and it would be nice to add more ram later, but in saying that, back in the day when computers became outdated faster, it was more important. I remember when my top of the line BTO titanium MBP (or whatever it was called) got to 3-4 years old, it was old. But this 2013 MBP top of the line I'm using now is still running totally fine after almost 5 years. Doesn't feel old or look old at all.
- keyboard. that seems bad.
- Superb customer service. I'm yet to get bad customer service with an Apple Computer in Japan. It's only been great. iPhone and iPad is a different story.

 

[Tech198]

So basically, a revised top-case design. This should put an end to the dreamers hoping to drop a 2018 keyboard on a 2016/2017 unit.

Replacing entire top-case just for keyboard replacement is nuts.

 

[Guy Clark]

Nothing looks better than Macs inside.

Made without compromises looks like that... I'm an electrical engineer and their hardware is always pure pornography.

The components they use are hand picked, every capacitor, inductor, mosfet, etc. is of good quality, the layouts are without compromise (means they are using expensive multi-layer PCB's), there's basically no space wasted, no random cables or wires going from one place to another, the air paths are unrestricted, etc.

And LOL @ the repair score. We know iFixit hates Apple, won't stop anybody from buying a MBP.



I hated it.

Nothing says more "pro" than a glowing Apple logo, it's a work computer, not a fashion statement. Social escalators can have their iPhones in crocodile leather cases.

To describe Apple hardware as 'pure pornography' is somewhat weird to say the very least. As an IT specialist functionality is more important than looks therefore I have never become aroused over the appearance of a what is essentially a Laptop that legally runs macOS which at the end of the day is all it is.

 

[pl1984]

Huh. Definitely consumer level normal AppleCare. I guess Japan's delivery service infrastructure is just really good because of how small and concentrated the country is.

Please note I stated US as in United States. While I have never been to Japan I've heard, from family that has, customer service, in general, is leaps and bounds ahead of the US. The US should take a page from your country in this area.

 

[iMacC2D]

iFixit does not hate Apple. The repairability scores they give are based on findings and what the end users capabilities may be.

Yep. Seems they're pretty consistent with their scoring across manufacturers as well based on their metrics - use of adhesive, standardised components and fasteners, ease of disassembly, ease of access to service materials and free of serviceable restrictions (like coded components that need programming before they work).

If you're a repairability-conscious consumer, their scale is accurate and a great point of reference. If you aren't, you're not looking at their scale anyway. It's absurd to think iFixit hates Apple simply because they're scoring their products accurately, and I doubt anyone would disagree that Apple products are somewhat more difficult to disassemble and fix than other manufacturers products. And "who repairs their products anyway" isn't a valid argument, because clearly the answer is "anyone reading iFixit".

Where iFixit does take issue with Apple is in their attempts to change state and federal legislation to actively prohibit independent repairers and hobbyists from doing what they're otherwise currently free to do, and in some cases treat them as criminals. But iFixit speaks out against most businesses that take an anti-competitive stance when it comes to repair. It's nothing exclusive to Apple, they're just the biggest. It's the Apple fans that seem to take it personally.

 

[curtvaughan]

He did receive a replacement iMac Pro as he was still not satisfied as there were scratches underneath where the stand had been removed and replaced with the VESA mount

Did you ever see this one? Guy checked his nice guitar on United for a flight, and they destroyed it. They refused to acknowledge their error and reimburse him for the cost to replace the guitar until he published this video on youtube. It went viral. Sort of reminds me of this guy's experience with Apple. BTW, the Taylor guitar company, after the guy posted this video, gave him a new guitar gratis, as it gave them more publicity than they'd ever gotten before, with a commensurate boost in sales.

 

[jeremiah256]

To describe Apple hardware as 'pure pornography' is somewhat weird to say the very least. As an IT specialist functionality is more important than looks therefore I have never become aroused over the appearance of a what is essentially a Laptop that legally runs macOS which at the end of the day is all it is.

You're looking at it from the point of view of an IT specialist. @TimmeyCook was describing it from the point of view of an engineer. Not weird at all.

 

[curtvaughan]

To describe Apple hardware as 'pure pornography' is somewhat weird to say the very least. As an IT specialist functionality is more important than looks therefore I have never become aroused over the appearance of a what is essentially a Laptop that legally runs macOS which at the end of the day is all it is.

Now that is an elegant statement!

 

[Glideslope]

Pics or it didn’t happen

Too funny.

 

[lambertjohn]

Replacing entire top-case just for keyboard replacement is nuts.

so does that mean that if I want to get my "dead" battery replaced someday, they're going to replace the entire top case too and charge me accordingly?

 

[Zigman]

so does that mean that if I want to get my "dead" battery replaced someday, they're going to replace the entire top case too and charge me accordingly?

Yup, when they replaced my 2016 keyboard, the entire top case with battery was replaced as well.

 

[bkkcanuck8]

Or an upgrade perspective. I'm done with Apple's laptops until they're not sold strictly "as-is". I have no doubt they're still great machines, but it should be considered unacceptable that you have to buy all the RAM or live without it forever. Same with storage.

Laptops are not going to go back to upgradeable design. The fact is that having all the components manufactured onto the main board -- makes these computers much less likely to need repairing (on a significant order of magnitude). Yes, when you do need to repair them it costs more, but the balance is significantly in the favour of saving money overall (and that saves Apple money since they will have fewer warranty repairs and less under Apple Care (i.e. more profitable).

I remember back in the day I would install memory - chip by chip - but those days are gone as well. For anything other than a modular mac, this makes sense. I have no problem planning and buying what I need up front, I have been around long enough to know how I use my computer and what I will need now and what I will most likely need in the future. If however I do make a mistake the resell value of Macs hold up so I would just sell my old computer and buy a new one... there upgraded! (and new hardware to boot).

Now companies like iFixit will yell and scream loudly at the waste - because they have a vested interest... Apple making their computers this way - takes food out of their mouths. But the truth is that it does not increase waste... Macs still are in use longer typically on average, they hold up their value and when you do upgrade typically the older computer is still being used for up to 10 years at least - sometimes as hand me downs, sometimes as sold off... but they typically are still working.
[doublepost=1531791343][/doublepost]

so does that mean that if I want to get my "dead" battery replaced someday, they're going to replace the entire top case too and charge me accordingly?

They have set prices for battery replacements - MacBook 12 inch is the most expensive at $200... probably because the molded battery.

 

[curtvaughan]

- SD card. never used that slot, but I guess some do. If you do, that's not great.
- 3.5 Headphone. It's still there on computer. I think it's great them taking it off the iPhone. you still get wired headphones, but really, the AirPods are awesome and using the iPhone with them is so much better. It's a night and day experience.
- upgradable ram and battery. Battery sucks, and it would be nice to add more ram later, but in saying that, back in the day when computers became outdated faster, it was more important. I remember when my top of the line BTO titanium MBP (or whatever it was called) got to 3-4 years old, it was old. But this 2013 MBP top of the line I'm using now is still running totally fine after almost 5 years. Doesn't feel old or look old at all.
- keyboard. that seems bad.
- Superb customer service. I'm yet to get bad customer service with an Apple Computer in Japan. It's only been great. iPhone and iPad is a different story.

I'll address your points from my experience.

SD card slot - I'm only one person, but I use GoPro helm cams to document via video of bike rides, hikes and the like. After a day of video, I go back to my hotel and/or home, take the SD card out of the camera, and load it into a computer. I can't do that with an Apple laptop anymore without dongles and adapters. So, I now take PC laptops running Linux with lots of ports to get the job done.

3.5 headphone jack - wired headphones are not only superior sonically, but they require no batteries. I can fly on a trans-<name your ocean> airline and listen to music on my phone, which I can charge independently of the headphone connection.

iPhone better without the jack - how is it better without the jack, except to shave a millimeter off in the name of thin? You could use your wireless headphones with the 6S and earlier phones. Removing the jack did nothing but deprive a lot of folks who use wired headphones for the reasons specified above of the ability to use their speaker systems with an iPhone.

I congratulate you on your 2013 MBP. Compared to the current offerings, it was much more practical and usable. I have an old MBP (1,1), the first Intel MBP, which I bought in 2006. It still runs, has a beautiful display, but since it's 32-bit, is mostly dead in the water for any system support, even from Linux. But IT STILL WORKS. That's why I used to love Apple products. Moving on ...

 

[DeepIn2U]

The lid casing is thinner to reduce weight, which has to mean that it will likely flex and get damaged more easily, which most likely won't be covered by any warranty. Replacements will generate profit for Apple without any need for apologies, class action suits etc. Clever.

(I have one on order however, so evidently I am begrudgingly optimistic about this model)

Not sure any flex will occur yet if it does ... many MBP models before it being some form of metal also had top cases that flexed. Since TiBook onward!

I hope there are no functional problems with this, i.e. that the probability of a failure are the same or only marginally higher. Pay 7k for a computer and get a cost cut plastic connector..

Plastic connector ~ if I understand is on the plug recepticle itself is probably very cheap for the end user to have Apple repair anyhow.

I hope one day they will bring the backlit Apple Logo

Seein! I want this back. Apple, federighi, if they had any respect for Jobs or their laptop lineage would bring this back to ALL MacBooks in their lineup going forward.

Reducing his feature of the brand almost hides the instant brand name recognition.

This is an engineering marvel. Not so good from a repair perspective, but out the box - amazing.

I'm not kidding, I may well buy two of these, one for my dad & one for my brother.

Definitely good value and great tech used.

I’m curious for any 2016+ owner of te MacBook Pro with TouchBar if the TP chip with Secure Enclave fully Locks down the MacBook to our iCloud account like that of iPads and iPhones ?!?!!!

I will be buying and praying shipment to store for pickup is faster than home. Any advice on this?

 

[bkkcanuck8]

3.5 headphone jack - wired headphones are not only superior sonically, but they require no batteries. I can fly on a trans-<name your ocean> airline and listen to music on my phone, which I can charge independently of the headphone connection.

I just fly on planes I can plug my computer into a power outlet... If you are flying an airline that is so backward they don't have that on cross atlantic (or in my case cross-pacific) flights... you are flying the wrong airline!

 

[curtvaughan]

I just fly on planes I can plug my computer into a power outlet... If you are flying an airline that is so backward they don't have that on cross atlantic (or in my case cross-pacific) flights... you are flying the wrong airline!

I repeat, how did removing the jack help your bluetooth experience? It did not. It denigrated wired headphone users. Sure, you don't care, but you know, were you griping about the headphone jack before the iPhone 7? Sure, the airlines can provide more sockets and whatnot to accommodate the lack of Apple ports, but that didn't used to be necessary. Whatever - meh.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Replacing entire top-case just for keyboard replacement is nuts.

Like you there are others that would complain to Apple’s direction and similar to decisions like this.

Top case being replaced with keyboard. This is a ver SMART move by the manufacturer. I just called Lenovo 3wks ago to repair a P50 which TrackPoint and TrackPad stopped working (drivers where updated, fully removed and installed updated versions to no success). Premier supper text arrived to repair and was unsuccessful. The part that arrived was a full top case including keyboard, TrackPoint and TrackPad. The follow up call had cabling along with another new top case with all parts included and that did the trick.

Considering just how dirty the keyboard and TrackPoint was along with Fade on the trackpad this was like getting a NEW laptop for the corporate Lenovo user.

Ifixits rating of 1-10 for repair ability:

I like this because Apple has so many stores globally and warranty and customer service support has proven greatly above paying for higher tier. In person support.

 

[ghostface147]

Upgrading this time round too - from the same MacBook Pro 17"! Has your GPU ever died? Mine did in year four, but it's still going at the moment... had to replace the charger the other day though, as that died too. Can't wait for the new MacBook Pro to arrive! It's currently 'Preparing for Dispatch'... probably take at least another week to get here! Peripherals arrived today though, as well as the new leather pouch, which I thought would also have some way of keeping the MacBook Pro inside, but at the moment, that doesn't look to be the case... weird... I hope it's not possible for the MacBook Pro to fall out, but I have no way of testing it!

The motherboard was replaced twice for the GPU problem. It lasted four years with no issue then failed. The replacement failed a few weeks later. None since then. The only issue I have now is that screen is dimmer than it used to be and it raises and lowers the brightness randomly. I’m thinking the display is failing since it doesn’t do it to an external monitor.

 

[bkkcanuck8]

The motherboard was replaced twice for the GPU problem. It lasted four years with no issue then failed. The replacement failed a few weeks later. None since then. The only issue I have now is that screen is dimmer than it used to be and it raises and lowers the brightness randomly. I’m thinking the display is failing since it doesn’t do it to an external monitor.

Or the battery is bloated and pressing against something giving you the mad computer syndrome