Teardown of Retina MacBook Pro Finds Low Repairability with Custom Components

[Shanpdx]

$99 battery replacement program

I want $99 battery replacement program like iPad

enough said

may be corporations will through money on this non-upgradeable PRO machine.

next stop to screw the iMac

 

[fred_garvin]

This may be apples to oranges, but my Fall '08 Macbook has not had a battery problem and reads, if Im seeing it correctly, 1233 cycle counts after nearly four years of use. What are you all doing to damage these batteries so quickly ?

I have the same first unibody, fall 2008 15" pro. Battery started bulging in April and had to be replaced. A common problem is using them more as movable desktops. I have it plugged in 95% of the time, so had < 100 cycles. Apparently, without exercise, my battery was a couch potato and became obese.

I bought a program, watts, since then which reminds me to unplug every so often, discharge monthly, etc. It was pretty cheap.

I just hope that if a fan dies or the battery goes that a 30min trip to the genius bar could take care of it.

 

[TheBeastman13]

Nothing special. Actually I used the battery the way alexgowers describes (post 128). In the Apple store they told me that a battery starts losing capacity between 400 and 600 full charging cycles. Because mine was 400+ I had to buy a new one.

Just read post #128, and I think, if I understood correctly, Ive been doing just what he says NOT to do. Yet, my battery, imo, is great for its age. I always drain the battery down to ~5%, and then do a full, 100% charge (or a 6-8hr charge over night if I am asleep). I REFRAIN from having it charge while I continue to work with the Macbook (that is a 'trickle charge,' correct ?) unless it is necessary to be charging while I finish an edit.

 

[rovex]

If AppleCare wasn't justifiable before, it is now.

It would be if they actually cared for some of us.

 

[Mistrblank]

I'm not happy with them moving everything to proprietary.


-P

It's a laptop, they're typically pretty proprietary to being with. I don't remember the last laptop I've ever owned where anything more than memory and drive were replacable and I actually replaced them before replacing the whole thing.

 

[PracticalMac]

As I've said, Apple says these batteries will last 5 years, and if they don't Apple will replace the battery for $200 out of warranty.

http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro/service/battery/

That's nice, but feel sorry for the guy who has to tear out the batteries and the person who owns a computer that is messed up on inside.

...Unless the batteries not meant to be removed.

 

[AppleInMyBlood]

I'm not happy with them moving everything to proprietary.


-P

Funny, I feel exactly the opposite. I was always a little disappointed when the Mac's internals started to seem a little like everybody else's. They've been steadily moving back toward Jobs' vision of a fully proprietary product in the last few years, despite still using Intel CPUs.

 

[tekno]

Was hoping the SSD could be upgraded.

This kinda sucks, means one should buy the 512 SSD for futureproofing.

Why futureproof when the battery will be considerably less powerful after a couple of years and, as it seems to be irreplaceable, you'll be wanting a new one.

 

[faroZ06]

I'm not happy with them moving everything to proprietary.


-P

Are any other PC companies making laptops with retina displays? It seems like someone would (most likely Samsung).

 

[alyount]

iFixit - HAHAHAHA what a joke

I'm sure the technicians who gave the new MBP a low rating were among the first to order it for themselves.

As other posters have noted with the tight design I say GREAT JOB APPLE.

Out of the 20 years I've owned Macs I've only had one issue and had to have it fixed. This was only because my 2 year old put coins in the CD drive of my iMac. I could have done it myself but I'd rather let someone else do it.

I've talked with iFixit's upper management on subjects like this and kind of laugh at them. They are all about repairability and a better environmental impact, however I'm sure those parts (in other computers, that get good ratings from iFixit) that are being replaced are not recycled at all and get tossed in the trash. I would think they would be encouraging users to take it to the professionals, who can be required to recycle rather than throw it out.

 

[faroZ06]

Is Ram interchangeable in the MBPR?

Not, it is soldered on, which I think is stupid.

----------

I'm sure the technicians who gave the new MBP a low rating were among the first to order it for themselves.

As other posters have noted with the tight design I say GREAT JOB APPLE.

Out of the 20 years I've owned Macs I've only had one issue and had to have it fixed. This was only because my 2 year old put coins in the CD drive of my iMac. I could have done it myself but I'd rather let someone else do it.

I've talked with iFixit's upper management on subjects like this and kind of laugh at them. They are all about repairability and a better environmental impact, however I'm sure those parts (in other computers, that get good ratings from iFixit) that are being replaced are not recycled at all and get tossed in the trash. I would think they would be encouraging users to take it to the professionals, who can be required to recycle rather than throw it out.

Whether or not the MBPR is a great, reliable machine, it is still not repairable. Also, it's not just about repairs; you can't upgrade the RAM or SSD on these things. For most, this is not a problem because they don't even know what RAM is.

The MBPR is stunning, but I'd wait a little before buying one because this is brand-new technology. I think only Apple is using it at the moment, too. Another retina Mac could come out not much later that is cheaper or better.

 

[minnus]

Had I known the battery was glued in, I wouldn't have placed an order.

 

[NorEaster]

It's a give and take. If you want newer, slimmer, lighter form factors, the manufacturer needs to break away from the designs we've been seeing the last 10 years. I'm all for it, I quit fiddling with the physical aspects of computers a long time ago.

Upgrading your laptop's RAM and hard drive is hardly fiddling. It's a completely reasonable requirement for a user to upgrade his/her machine's memory and storage in order to extend the life of the machine. Some of us aren't rich enough to spend thousands every 2-3 years (especially when newer OS versions and applications are more demanding).

 

[Flitzy]

Yawn.

Who or what is an iFixIt and why do I care what they think? Seems like just another lame tech blog trying to get hits with a sensationalistic title and a criticism of Apple.

 

[faroZ06]

Out of the 20 years I've owned Macs I've only had one issue and had to have it fixed. This was only because my 2 year old put coins in the CD drive of my iMac. I could have done it myself but I'd rather let someone else do it.

A CD got stuck in my iMac for some reason, and it constantly tried to eject it for over a year until it finally came out. I think the Mac Pro is the machine for me...

 

[Digital Skunk]

This is where folks wanted the computer to go. Sure, many of us wanted to be able to upgrade our own RAM and drives but anyone not seeing this coming was blind and didn't really know Apple.

The minute they made the battery on the unibody 17" non user replaceable I knew they'd make every mobile device they design non user serviceable.

 

[faroZ06]

Yawn.

Who or what is an iFixIt and why do I care what they think? Seems like just another lame tech blog trying to get hits with a sensationalistic title and a criticism of Apple.

They presented clear facts. The RAM is soldered on, and there are proprietary parts. To save space, there are other reasons why it is harder to get in like the placement of the battery.

This is no iPhone antenna BS.

 

[NorEaster]

Funny, I feel exactly the opposite. I was always a little disappointed when the Mac's internals started to seem a little like everybody else's. They've been steadily moving back toward Jobs' vision of a fully proprietary product in the last few years, despite still using Intel CPUs.

Why does uniqueness in internal design matter? If you want Macs to be unique just so you can feel special, then that's a fairly elitist attitude. It's the marriage of software and hardware that make Apple special...not the uniqueness of internal componentry.

 

[mgsolidsnak3]

My current macbook is 5 years old.
During its time the ram was replaced from 1GB to 2GB and later on to 4GB.
The hard disk was replaced from 120GB to 500GB hybrid seagate.

And finally I replaced the battery after it has swollen/expanded. (about half inch)
I don't even want to picture the damage a swollen battery would cause to the new macbook. most probably the casing and motherboard and everything around it. would be destroyed since its bolted in inside with no room to expand to.

And before someone mentions applecare. I had one for my current macbook. The battery incident occurred 3 years and 4 months after the purchase.

 

[faroZ06]

This is where folks wanted the computer to go. Sure, many of us wanted to be able to upgrade our own RAM and drives but anyone not seeing this coming was blind and didn't really know Apple.

The minute they made the battery on the unibody 17" non user replaceable I knew they'd make every mobile device they design non user serviceable.

Well, it actually is replaceable. You just need a screwdriver and slightly more bravery than if it just came off with the push of a button. My friend, who has no experience opening computers, did it easily.

The MBPR has a battery that is actually glued on.

 

[MacSince1990]

****. This basically means you HAVE to get AppleCare... plu shave to upgrade te memory at Apple when you buy it if you want 16 GB.. which of course I'll need (if not more) in a couple years anyway... asdklfjs. Now I really just have no idea what to do.

It's a give and take. If you want newer, slimmer, lighter form factors, the manufacturer needs to break away from the designs we've been seeing the last 10 years. I'm all for it, I quit fiddling with the physical aspects of computers a long time ago.

This is in no way true in this case, and not necessarily true in general either.

Also, this is more going BACK to an eariler time.... Macs-- especially in the pre-PowerPC era-- used to have their memory sodlered to the logic board. Granted, even THOSE were upgradeable...

 

[faroZ06]

My current macbook is 5 years old.
During its time the ram was replaced from 1GB to 2GB and later on to 4GB.
The hard disk was replaced from 120GB to 500GB hybrid seagate.

And finally I replaced the battery after it has swollen/expanded. (about half inch)
I don't even want to picture the damage a swollen battery would cause to the new macbook. most probably the casing and motherboard and everything around it. would be destroyed since its bolted in inside with no room to expand to.

And before someone mentions applecare. I had one for my current macbook. The battery incident occurred 3 years and 4 months after the purchase.

I'd imagine that this new one does not have heat issues. My mom has a 5-year-old MacBook Pro that runs at 135˚F normally and 221˚F under heavy usage (above boiling point). The battery swelled so much that it pushed the trackpad up and made it unusable, so we replaced it of course.

 

[ristlin]

I buy my macs at Best Buy, I always purchase their geek squad protection. Few days ago I spilt soda on my 13 inch early 2011 macbook pro, just got the call for me to come in and pick up my mid 2012 13 inch macbook pro or pay the difference to upgrade to my 15.4.

covers normal wear and tear and accidental spills drops and cracks.

My friends ipad 1 16GB 3g ipad got damaged he got an ipad 3 4g for free....

Sure it costs more but I have always been pleased with BBs Geek Squad protection.

Haven't used Geek Squad in ages, but it looks like they have improved greatly. Glad to see there are other options out there. In this case, looks like it may be the superior option.

 

[jasontll]

It's like you bought an exotic European supercar, you don't want to put a Japanese turbocharger or other parts in your super car right?

 

[faroZ06]

It's like you bought an exotic European supercar, you don't want to put a Japanese turbocharger or other parts in your super car right?

Upgrading the RAM in your Mac is not like this. You can buy Apple-branded Kingston RAM online and put it on your Mac if the RAM is not soldered on.

Also, if the Japanese parts are better, I would put them in my European supercar (assuming we're ignoring the drop in resale value).