MacBook Teardown Images Reveal a Number of Additional Minor Changes

[MacRumors]

As usual, iFixit has been quick to dissect Apple's updated MacBook, offering an extensive gallery of photos documenting the process.

A few notes of interest:
- There is no external indicator of battery charge state.
- There is no infrared port, meaning that the new model is incompatible with Apple Remotes.
- The integrated battery offers only 9% more capacity than on previous models (60 watt-hours vs. 55), but Apple claims an increase in battery life to 7 hours from the previous 5 hours, suggesting that the new model is more energy efficient. The new battery is significantly lighter than in the previous generation, offering a power-to-weight ratio that is 23.5% better.
- The hard drive is more difficult to replace than on previous models, but certainly can be done.
- The apparently increased rigidity in the latest model appears to come the use of an aluminum sheet (covered with a rubberized coating on the exterior) for the bottom case and other structural supports within the body of the machine.
- The Bluetooth antenna is routed into the display housing, likely improving range compared to previous models that placed the antenna in the body of the machine above the optical drive.

iFixit has also put together a video montage of the teardown process.



Article Link: MacBook Teardown Images Reveal a Number of Additional Minor Changes

 

[notjustjay]

The lack of infrared port surprises me given the new remotes. Are they now a "pro" feature too?

 

[TBi]

I wonder if the IR port is 'hidden' rather than missing. We'll have to wait until someone actually tries to use the remote with it.

 

[dr_lha]

I wonder if the IR port is 'hidden' rather than missing. We'll have to wait until someone actually tries to use the remote with it.

It's not "hidden" - these iFixit guys are smart, it's not there. You can verify this by going to the Apple Store and seeing that the remote is no longer an optional extra for the new MacBook.

Bizarre.

 

[Saladinos]

Wow, they've really stripped the MacBook down. Hardly any connectors, and now no IR port or charge status LEDs?

This seriously blows. Why would they want to cripple the MacBook?

 

[retroneo]

I wonder if the IR port is 'hidden' rather than missing. We'll have to wait until someone actually tries to use the remote with it.

Ummm. I think teardown specialists taking the machine apart would have found it if it was there.

Plus Apple has taken it off the specification sheet.

Apple might have forgotten to put it on the list, and the experts overlooked a sensor that needs a window through opaque plastic...

 

[talkingfuture]

Shame about the lack of IR. On the whole a good update though. The profile looks a lot smoother now with the rounded edges and the new trackpad is welcome.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Wow, they've really stripped the MacBook down. Hardly any connectors, and now no IR port or charge status LEDs?

This seriously blows. Why would they want to cripple the MacBook?

To increase MPB sales.

 

[Beric]

The Macbook is now terribly crippled. I'll no longer be able to consider one. But will I buy a Macbook Pro, as part of Apple's strategy? No.

 

[Tastydirt]

Wow, they've really stripped the MacBook down. Hardly any connectors, and now no IR port or charge status LEDs?

This seriously blows. Why would they want to cripple the MacBook?

Lack of FW, IR, and battery status LED is hardly crippling...

 

[techpr]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

So no IR, no Bat indicator, no FW... still at $999 WTF Apple?

 

[arkmannj]

No IR
No FireWire
No External Battery status indication

Hmmmm. No likey

 

[apull]

differentiation sucks--pushing people to a "pro" model to get firewire and IR might make good business sense: they get you thinking about a MB with it's "low" entry price, and then once you start looking you realize you don't want a plastic macbook. then, you upsell yourself to a base level 13" MBP (as if there's anything pro about that model) and buy it before you even realize it's ridiculously overpriced.

of course, if they're just dropping features with the intent of possibly dropping the price, then we might be getting somewhere. could be just testing the waters to see how little product they can get away with selling and still charge $1000.

hope my macbook doesn't die too soon, because i rather like it, but the way apple's headed it's doubtful i will ever replace it with another mac.

 

[notjustjay]

I'm hoping this means a price drop is coming.

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a consumer to pay $999 for this where $1199 buys you the 13" aluminum unibody. For that extra $200 you get the aluminum chassis, Firewire, IR, battery meter, backlit keyboard...

This configuration would make much more sense if Apple dropped this to say $799 or $899.

The conference call did reveal that Apple is expecting lower margins soon. That either means more "stuff" at the same price points, or lower price points...

 

[dzamir]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

So no IR, no Bat indicator, no FW... still at $999 WTF Apple?

In Italy the price is now 899€ (it was 950 or 999, I can't remember)

 

[Squonk]

For me, none of these missing items from the new MB are deal breakers, but I'll happily pay $200 more (or the SAME for a refurb MBP 13 2.26) to have the features. If this MB was in the $850-900 range, I would then be a lot more tempted to get one.

I'm guessing the MB has been kept at the 1000 price point to keep room below it for the tablet machine in the $600-800 range.

 

[stagi]

I am kind of glad no IR port, never use it currently and every time I am watching my apple tv and use the remote my laptop also goes to front row which is very annoying

 

[dfa4]

what about the slit on the right in the images on the website

if no IR port, why is there a slit on the right side of the front of the macbook, or so it appears in the images of the macbook on the website???

 

[Demosthenes X]

I am kind of glad no IR port, never use it currently and every time I am watching my apple tv and use the remote my laptop also goes to front row which is very annoying

Go into your Security panel and turn off the infrared received, or pair it with a different remote. Problem solved.

I'm going to guess that Apple removed the infrared from the MacBook because few people were using it. Apple knows exactly how many people bought remotes with their MacBooks: if that number was pretty low, then there doesn't seem like much point in continuing to offer that option.

That said, I use my remote with my MacBook all the time, so...

 

[azdude]

- The apparently increased rigidity in the latest model appears to come the use of an aluminum sheet (covered with a rubberized coating on the exterior) for the bottom case and other structural supports within the body of the machine.

It's interesting how Apple is referring to this as a Unibody construction. It's clearly a multiple-part aluminum-reinforced plastic rather than a construction where the body *is* the structure.

That said, it does seem to have a single machined aluminum plate as a structural carrier, which is an improvement over the old sheet-metal cage type structure.

 

[azdude]

if no IR port, why is there a slit on the right side of the front of the macbook, or so it appears in the images of the macbook on the website???

Sleep light?

 

[Helmigurt]

While I like the new iMacs alot, I simply don´t get this new whitebook. It doesn´t have any advantages over the old one besides the LED disply, integrated battery, the mini displayport and 133 MHz. I mean seriously: They could`ve upgraded the old one with these extras and customers won´t loose the ir port, the battery indicator or the FW port.
Maybe it looks really cool in the flesh and is really rigid or so but by now I simply don´t get it..

 

[timswim78]

I am kind of glad no IR port, never use it currently and every time I am watching my apple tv and use the remote my laptop also goes to front row which is very annoying

Seriously dude. It's not that hard to pair a remote.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1555

 

[baryon]

Wow, they've really stripped the MacBook down. Hardly any connectors, and now no IR port or charge status LEDs?

This seriously blows. Why would they want to cripple the MacBook?

Dude, seriously, the lack of the battery indicator and the remote IR are not "crippling" the MacBook, it's not like they took away the webcam or the CD player The only connector it doesn't have is FireWire, and the MacBook dropped that back a year ago when the 13 inch MacBook Pro was still called MacBook. So that shouldn't be a surprise.

 

[SurfSpirit]

if no IR port, why is there a slit on the right side of the front of the macbook, or so it appears in the images of the macbook on the website???

http://images.apple.com/mac/whichmacbook/images/whichmacbook_macbook20091014.png

Because it's just the light indicator!

I Have the first MacBook, and I use Apple remote pretty often, FrontRow to see Movie Trailers and control iTunes, to pause Movies etc, so it's very bad that apple ripped this off!! FireWire is another port that I use very much!!! How can I edit a video camera movie without it? USB cameras are no comparison!!

Battery indicator is such useful that this thing alone makes be think Apple Engineers went drunk when did this same old price ripped of machine!!!

The only think I like about it, is the new Led display, but is it as good as the MBookPro??

Hint: Use your mobile phone to control your mac by bluetooth, not as easy as the Apple Remote, but there's no other way in this new crap machine!