iFixit Shares M4 MacBook Pro Teardown

[MacRumors]

Repair site iFixit today shared a teardown video of the M4 Pro MacBook Pro, giving us a look inside of the machine. Apple didn't make any external design changes to the MacBook Pro models, but iFixit was hopeful for repairability improvements.

Unfortunately, the M4 Pro MacBook Pro that iFixit took apart was almost identical to the M3 MacBook Pro, which means Apple kept almost the same internal design as well.

The M4 Pro MacBook Pro has a larger heatsink than the M3 MacBook Pro for improved heat dissipation, but the battery build and size are the same. Removing the battery still requires removing the trackpad because the battery's adhesive tabs are under the trackpad hardware. Getting to the logic board is "incredibly complex and tedious" due to all the screws and the cables that are in the way.

Overall, repairing and replacing parts in the MacBook Pro has not changed. Apple provides repair information, parts details, tools, and guides on its website.

Article Link: iFixit Shares M4 MacBook Pro Teardown

 

[c84216]

Why is it “unfortunate” that this is similar to the M3 model and Apple kept the internals the same? Nothing is wrong and nobody was complaining!

 

[nathan_reilly]

watching on my completely useless M3 Max MacBook pro 😢

 

[nathan_reilly]

Why is it “unfortunate” that this is similar to the M3 model and Apple kept the internals the same? Nothing is wrong and nobody was complaining!

I think they're saying it's "unfortunate" bc the narrative of the video starts out with repairability upgrades to other Apple products that have come out recently. so the narrator rhetorically asks if there is more of the same in the M4 MBP. And ofc ifixit has a horse in the repairability race, so I guess you could be cynical and say it's really most "unfortunate" for them. But I happen to like fixing my macs too so I am always hoping for more improvements in this area. So it is a bit unforunate for me as well that nothing as improved in that regard. But then again, I have the previous generation 😭

 

[JPack]

Yes, it's an SoC and display upgrade. The fact that it has the same box art wallpaper hinted at this already. But it's a fairly large jump in processing power and base memory.

 

[UpsideDownEclair]

Their blog post just redirects you to the teardown video... Bit sad

 

[dominiongamma]

Why is it “unfortunate” that this is similar to the M3 model and Apple kept the internals the same? Nothing is wrong and nobody was complaining!

Things can always improve, this product is not perfect.

 

[Macalway]

No news is unfortunate.

 

[Darren.h]

wish they would use small recessed Allen screws instead of those easy strippable screws on the back cover.

 

[Duncan-UK]

Although I can appreciate their frustration with the lack of improved repairability, I have to admire the sheer achievements of the modern consumer electronics manufacturing process. I'm continually dazzled by how they manage to pack so much in and have the production facilities to churn these out by the multiple millions. The sheer scale is dizzying.

The "Inside the Factory" nerd in me would love to see the manufacturing process in full of modern laptops, tablets and phones!

 

[3304614]

Why is it “unfortunate” that this is similar to the M3 model and Apple kept the internals the same? Nothing is wrong and nobody was complaining!

Context. Context is important. The previous paragraph gives you the context.

It’s unfortunate because there is no change in the repairability of the M4 MacBook Pro. The internals remain the same, and repairability remains the same as well.

 

[macintoshjordan]

Am I tripping or do I still feel that apple products designed to only be repairable with apple retailers? I don't mean to crash the party but apple products purposely don't work if you are doing it by yourself.

 

[jeroenvip]

Why do I wanna do this myself self risking a 3k+ machine to be broken down for a battery replacement or pay 259 to have it done at apple and also have warranty on the replacement.

 

[seek3r]

Why is it “unfortunate” that this is similar to the M3 model and Apple kept the internals the same? Nothing is wrong and nobody was complaining!

replaceable storage like the mini would have been a welcomed change

 

[filchermcurr]

Why do I wanna do this myself self risking a 3k+ machine to be broken down for a battery replacement or pay 259 to have it done at apple and also have warranty on the replacement.

It's likely of more importance for people who want to keep the same machine for a very, very long time. If I recall, Apple only does battery replacement for 7 or 8 years.

I recently replaced the battery and SSD in my 2012 retina Macbook Pro and it's still great for compiling a hobby project for Windows and Intel macOS. No sense chucking old devices into a landfill if you can still find uses for them!

 

[jecowa]

I’m fine with only the motherboard and its contents getting changed. Unless there was some problem with the monitor cable being too short or the keyboard being unreliable, changing things that don’t need to be changed seems like it could risk causing more problems. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.

 

[SoldOnApple]

watching on my completely useless M3 Max MacBook pro 😢

On my positively antiquated M2 Max.

 

[seek3r]

On my positively antiquated M2 Max.

On my prehistoric M1 Pro

 

[svish]

Always good to see internals of all Apple devices. Was not expecting to see any change internally. This should be the case for the next version. Any change internally will happen probably only when MacBook Pro shifts to OLED and that will be at least be two years from now.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Things can always improve, this product is not perfect.

Today's MBP may not be perfect, but it is clearly the best laptop made. So yes, MR's usage of the term "unfortunate" was inappropriate.

At some point [M5 or M6] I do expect to see thinner and/or lighter MBPs, which will be an improvement. Other than that we will see display improvements as the underlying display tech improves. I would like more TB ports and more available RAM but bandwidth is already so good that I am just dreaming really.

The other thing that I personally would like to see is an available 17"/18" display, but that is a new size not an improvement.

 

[robfoll]

Why would any knowledgeable observer be expecting massive internal changes? “Unfortunately," MR often appears to be looking for clickbait headlines and/or taking a negative stance. iFixit's "repairability" is totally self-serving as they only apply to iFixit’s business. Apple or an Apple retailer will have the tools and knowledge to do a MacBook job efficiently.

 

[cicalinarrot]

Why is it “unfortunate” that this is similar to the M3 model and Apple kept the internals the same? Nothing is wrong and nobody was complaining!

Well, zero upgradability/repairability for all main components on a really expensive device is terrible but nobody expected that to change.

 

[FlyingDutch]

I still don’t like the repairability concept Apple is using lately. Non replaceable storage and memory… very hard to replace batteries…that’s why I abandoned Mac almost 3 years ago. This applies to iPad too, but I can understand with a tablet is more difficult

 

[cjsuk]

Well, zero upgradability/repairability for all main components on a really expensive device is terrible but nobody expected that to change.

It's mostly terrible for iFixit's business and the whole repair services industry who are backing up the right to repair movement. Other than a narrow enthusiast portion of the market, a quite loud one, no one gives a crap about this. I think the right to repair movement is a net negative if I'm honest - companies are quite happy to cut their warranties short and kick immature, poorly engineered products over the fence for the end users to fix and that is worse for society as a whole. There should be lifecycle and fit for purpose legislation introduced instead which makes the manufacturer look after the product if it fails within its usable lifetime and have fixed price up front quoted repair costs.

As for the technical side, I'm formally qualified to design products like this from an electronics perspective at least and I have little problem with this as well. The majority (95%+) of systems are never upgraded. The majority of systems are never repaired (I would suggest 80%+) and then repairs are mostly mechanical and module replacement which is catered for. The design trade offs are quite ok on that basis because the less mechanical parts, including connectors, that you have the better generally as it leads to a much further out MTTF. The storage MTTF is a non issue these days. That stuff will last longer than the MLCC capacitors on the board which are likely to be the first statistical failure (evidenced from M1 iMac failures I've seen).

The only reason they provide storage on cards in the M4 mac mini is it means they have to carry less hardware configurations in stock on their BTO options which I would suggest probably backfired a little historically and I bet they have a lot of weird non standard configurations that they did not sell.

What *is* a problem with the macbook pros is how they sell the battery bonded to the top case only via self service repair and you can't replace the top case only. That **** has to stop.

 

[vtrautia]

Why is it “unfortunate” that this is similar to the M3 model and Apple kept the internals the same? Nothing is wrong and nobody was complaining!

Let's start with soldered NAND modules. They wear down over time and are very hard replace with new ones.