iFixit Tearing Down 16-Inch MacBook Pro Live

[dantroline]

it means simply, Apple is denying us the right to truly own our machines.. unless you are good with soldering, I suppose the SSD and memory can be upgraded on the 16 inch, but there is the danger of destroying the notebook. Thats not good business.. Sure, buy the 16gb and 1TB 16 inch now.. but wait, u are stuck with what you pay for. That means, just spend 2500-3000 on a paperweight later on that I can't upgrade the memory and SSD.

If Linux or Unix finds a way for its kernels to share tasks between machines in their standard compiles then Mac will follow shortly after.

 

[Peperino]

As someone else posted, sure, clicking a button on a current day Mac may make something happen in 6 ms instead of 800 ms, but, to your average person, the difference just isn’t large enough to warrant the purchase of a new computer. As a result, the number of people who NEED a Mac will continue to decrease.

I disagree. I believe if Apple would be designing a computer that will be at the forefront of design and innovation (like it used to be), then they will be selling twice the number of computers they are selling today.

If they would maybe have a touchscreen or something better than the gimmicky touchbar, replaceable battery, not soldered components (upgradable RAM and SSD), 1tb SSD, better pricing, and left at least 1 one HDMI port and 1 USB-A port for backward compatibility would have helped a lot of users.

Instead we are getting disposable computers, that you cannot upgrade, that you can lose all your data if any minor problem occurs. Kind of pathetic for a PRO computer.

 

[Macbookprodude]

If Linux or Unix finds a way for its kernels to share tasks between machines in their standard compiles then Mac will follow shortly after.

we hope, though I run Mojave and Catalina May look into Ubuntu

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I disagree. I believe...

Well, we’ll just have to disagree, I mean, to clarify, people that NEED Macs will always BUY Macs. People that DO NOT NEED Macs will find cheaper options or options that better suit their needs elsewhere. A person that doesn’t need USB-A or HDMI ports are not the kind of folks that will be swayed to buy a Mac if they are added. Because... they don’t NEED them. And the number of folks that NEED things such as those are ever decreasing. Then, beside that, just looking at the numbers...

PC vendor shipments worldwide by quarter 2025| Statista

Lenovo shipped ***** million personal computers during the first quarter of 2025, surpassing HP's ***** million shipments in that same quarter and retaining its position as market leader.

www.statista.com

I don’t see how, in a globally declining market for PC’s in general, the Mac could ever double sales. MAYBE if iOS hadn’t come along and there was a Mac that sold for $329?

Global tablet shipments by OS 2022| Statista

Android was the leading operating system worldwide for tablets in the second quarter of 2022, shipping a total of 19.2 million units throughout the quarter.

www.statista.com

See, if you could trade all the tablet sales for Macs, then, yeah, you’d have double. (more like TWICE as many iPads sold as Macs as recently as Q319) As long as someone can buy a $329 device that does all they need or, heck, get cellular for $459 and do what they need wherever they are, people aren’t going to spend more money just to have, say, HDMI port they don‘t NEED.

 

[mv24]

30 mins video to arrive to that conclusion?! Is iFixit is bored?

 

[PickUrPoison]

Seems LPDDR3 would be available however many laptop manufacturers basically opted for DDR3L SO-DIMM, rendering LPDDR3 to be soldiered since there were very little demand to be used in a laptop and more to be used in mobile devices such as phones and tablets. Unfortunately it is difficult to say if there was a demand for it to be used in a SO-DIMM form it may be available, or if some manufacturers did it for other reasons. Interesting that the 2017 MBA did not offer a 16GB RAM option, I wonder if this was a technical limitation as the battery life is superb on those models.

For LPDDR3 and LPDDR4/X it’s not a matter of demand, it’s a limitation of that type of memory. It must have an optimal signal path to the memory controller, with no intervening connector.

re: 8GB max on the 2015/2017 MacBook Air, as you surmised there is indeed a technical limitation. If Apple had used DDR3L they could have gone to 16GB but with LPDDR3 a max of only 8GB is possible, with those older 5th gen Broadwell chips.

The current 8th gen CPU Apple is using in the 2018 MBA supports 16GB, and Apple offers a $200 upgrade option (which is highly advisable imo).

 

[code-m]

The current 8th gen CPU Apple is using in the 2018 MBA supports 16GB, and Apple offers a $200 upgrade option (which is highly advisable imo).

Not with that poor thermal design and KB it is not advisable tbh. I don't require 16GB of RAM for what I presently do on a daily basis. Considering 2020 may be a revealing year for a possible ARM Mac or a smaller MBP, who knows. This 2017 MBA is a battery life champ, I uses it daily and only change it once if not 1.5 days and charges quickly from 20% to 100% in about 1-1.5hrs.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Well, we’ll just have to disagree, I mean, to clarify, people that NEED Macs will always BUY Macs. People that DO NOT NEED Macs will find cheaper options or options that better suit their needs elsewhere. A person that doesn’t need USB-A or HDMI ports are not the kind of folks that will be swayed to buy a Mac if they are added. Because... they don’t NEED them. And the number of folks that NEED things such as those are ever decreasing. Then, beside that, just looking at the numbers...

PC vendor shipments worldwide by quarter 2025| Statista

Lenovo shipped ***** million personal computers during the first quarter of 2025, surpassing HP's ***** million shipments in that same quarter and retaining its position as market leader.

www.statista.com

I don’t see how, in a globally declining market for PC’s in general, the Mac could ever double sales. MAYBE if iOS hadn’t come along and there was a Mac that sold for $329?

Global tablet shipments by OS 2022| Statista

Android was the leading operating system worldwide for tablets in the second quarter of 2022, shipping a total of 19.2 million units throughout the quarter.

www.statista.com

See, if you could trade all the tablet sales for Macs, then, yeah, you’d have double. (more like TWICE as many iPads sold as Macs as recently as Q319) As long as someone can buy a $329 device that does all they need or, heck, get cellular for $459 and do what they need wherever they are, people aren’t going to spend more money just to have, say, HDMI port they don‘t NEED.

While the popularity of tablet computers has carved off a significant chunk of desktop/laptop sales, this effect has not been seen equally between Macs and PCs as a whole.

The relatively steady sales of Mac over the last 5+ years, even in the face of substantial declines in the overall PC market, actually represents a rather significant increase in market share of Macs vis a vis PCs.

It’s also worth noting that Apple has sold upwards of half a billion iPads—as you note it does sell twice the units as Mac—and undoubtedly it has cannibalized Mac sales. It’s hard to think that if not for the iPad (and particularly iPad Pro), Apple would be easily be sitting in the 25-30 million units per year range.

PS Completely agree that the lack of HDMI, USB-A, SD card reader, touchscreen, socketed components, etc. that some enjoy faulting Apple for have no appreciable impact on Mac sales. Apple could offer all those things and it would result in a negligible increase in sales, imo. And certainly none of them represent “innovation”.

 

[dantroline]

we hope, though I run Mojave and Catalina May look into Ubuntu

Mac is based on Unix kernel so I suspect they still follow the development processes there, and Unix/Linux share a lot of developers and code anyway. The only thing is transparent distributed computing would change the face of computing especially in terms of how devices are marketed. If only!

 

[Riwam]

Funny how much wasted energy and time is found in this thread!
All those disliking new MacBooks will not buy one. So not worth saying how bad they are. Brings nothing.
Enough other companies offer portable computers one can buy with the features anybody wants.
Those who like the new MacBook and can afford it, will buy it disregarding all negative views of others.
So why lose time and energy trying to convince other people they are wrong and should accept entirely opposite views, an impossible task as human nature is?
It's time to end this endless and useless discussion.
Everyone is right and nobody is wrong and FINISH IT... for God's sake!
Ed

 

[Glockworkorange]

So you are okay with Apple having a monopoly on the user upgrade components of an SSD/RAM post-purchase, way to go. What if I like using macOS? Have any legal option to install it on my HP with user replaceable SSD/RAM.

I am sure that is what a shareholder wants to hear either pay the high price of one time upgrades or loose the sale completely. You must really be fun at parties, with that mentality.
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non-retina MBA has a user replaceable right till it was discontinued from regular sales channels since mid/late 2018. It has excellent battery life, thin and light. Only issue was a non-retina or higher resolution display. Even the I/O ports were great for many users. I believe the 2015 and prior rMBP have user replaceable RAM/SSD and no problems of what some users are mentioning as a downfall of having slotted modules.

I honestly don't mind a little higher entry level insofar as the base storage is 128-256GB SSD with 8GB RAM. Anything lower is just an insult as those components do not cost much and the competition provide more for less. Just saying.

This is little to do with money and more to do with post-purchase consumer choice to upgrade they computer along with they needs and financial situation.

For example I can afford the new 2019 16" MBP fully loaded, however if I did not have the money I would get the base model and would like the option to upgrade the RAM and SSD when I do have the money and my needs grow, this is presently not an option. Would be nice to have an upgradable dGPU however most of those are a mess for Apple mobile solution, I am fine with the iGPU as I do not game, however a hybrid solution that Apple has would be better and I would opt for that if it was offered on the base or one up. Then again with eGPU I see this as less of a concern.

You can keep whining. Not sure what else to tell you. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Apple would be easily be sitting in the 25-30 million units per year range.

I would only add that to reach those numbers, as many of those purchases of iPads were not ONLY because of the purchaser’s meager needs BUT because they were cheaper than Macs (starting at $799 and you don’t even get a screen), not only would the iPad have to NOT exist, but you’d also have to have Macs WITH screens that start around $329.

 

[code-m]

You can keep whining. Not sure what else to tell you. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I would not necessarily refer to it as whining, more like voicing a concern for the betterment of many users alike. If we keep accepting what we are given without choice no company will ever change they ill-received practices.

For example without Union representation relating to employment, labourers were working 7 days a week. With no sick pay/leave, vacation pay/leave, retirement fund/pension, working conditions, etc. Sure Unions are hated and I am not a 100% supporter, more like 50/50, they have a purpose even though some can see it or not, but more than likely have benefitted in some way indirectly. This is just an example why it is important to voice concern and request for action, doing nothing has no change as the other party will just believe that it is acceptable.

Without voicing ones concern we would not have a physical ESC key, Magic KB, separate TouchID with Power button, better thermal design, etc.

 

[PickUrPoison]

I would only add that to reach those numbers, as many of those purchases of iPads were not ONLY because of the purchaser’s meager needs BUT because they were cheaper than Macs (starting at $799 and you don’t even get a screen), not only would the iPad have to NOT exist, but you’d also have to have Macs WITH screens that start around $329.

Disagree. If iPad didn’t exist and iPad buyers could buy a $329 MacBook instead, Mac sales might be close to 50 million/year.

My estimate of 25-30 million was based on only 15-25% of yearly the 40+ million iPad customers buying Mac instead. With iPad Pro prices in the $800-1,500 range, I don’t think that conversion rate is an unreasonable estimate.