@@MorningNapalmBecause many parts are not replaceable. Network, RAM and most importantly SSD is not replaceable. This means if your SSD dies, your entire device is dead
Parts pairing maybe makes sense on phones because they're literally stolen out of people's hands and then broken down for parts and sold, and Apple perhaps have a duty to reduce the incentive to commit what are sometimes quite violent muggings. Stolen laptops and tablets are much more likely to be sold whole though.
@@liamness So because a tiny fraction of devices gets stolen means taht ALL devices should be unrepairable? Cars also get stolen routinely, yet we can repair those just fine.
@@lbgstzockt8493It's not a tiny fraction, it's one of the most common forms of petty crime today. A few days ago a neighbour of mine saw a heavily pregnant woman get shoved onto her stomach as a thief snatched her phone. At least when cars get nicked the owners generally aren't actually with the vehicle. test
How often will you replace Touch ID on your laptop? And didn’t you notice keyboards without rivots feel a lot worse and even quality windows laptops now use them? And finally if you buy a MacBook Air you know you can’t upgrade the storage
And RAM, which in 2024 should be MINIMUM 16 with 24 or so being the norm imo. Mostly because a device with 8 GB of RAM bought in 2024 won't last long, seeing that every single year the RAM taken by the OS increases.
@@XAV-117One reason is that the chips storing the data will fail some day. The other is that if you need more space in the future, you can just go out and buy a $100 1 TB drive instead of paying the Apple tax of $3000 for a new Mac with that storage. I have also seen on Rossmann’s TH-cam that Apple places 12V rails close to the memory chips on some Macs. That means if a liquid gets in there and shorts that rail to the chip, bye bye chip.
The worst example of anti-repair I've seen to this date (that's somehow even worse than Apple's) is still the onewheel. Wanna replace the tyre because it got used up? Umm, no... You gotta disconnect the battery, which would wipe the volotile ROM holding the firmware, bricking your board. Imagine sending your car to the manufacturer just to swap the tyres...
@@tomaszwisniewski5583 Can you seriously not google "onewheel" and look up the 1st result? Come on, it took you more time and energy to write that question than to google it. Szczerze. To nie jest aż takie trudne.
@@aviwad Open up google, type in "onewheel" and just click the FIRST link that comes up, you will most likely end up on Future Motion's website... Jesus...
I bought one of your tool kits and I am absolutely loving it. I used it to fix my iPhone 6. You guys and other tech tubers are my inspiration to fix and explore tech❤
So, if the battery is held in place with four screws and they are already using screws that double-up as posts for clipping on the cover, why not get rid of the adhesive altogether? Use two more of those screw/posts in the corners of the device and make it simple and easy? Just like my old 2011 MacBook Air?
I’d be interested to know if there are any actual engineering reasons for this beyond trying to be difficult. I would say that it might make assembly easier, but they have to do the screws on half of it anyway. Maybe they install it with glue first and then add the screws later because it’s faster or easier?
i used to fix computers a few decades ago.. i understand the principle of 'right to repair' and all that, great stuff, but compared to what i used to do to just get inside a laptop these modern machines are infinitely more simplistic -for lack of a better term. a few months ago i helped a neighbor w/ a lenovo T something, maybe 14... it felt like the engineers put time in designing things in such a way that the disassembly is foolproof. an actual pleasure :)
the issue is that lenovo has a focus on ICT industry and tries to keep things fixable in some way. but soldered on-board memory and storage along with proprietary hardware with no 3rd party alternatives that work reliably (as intended by apple) we had an absurd increase of who can make the smallest and lightest machine, but also force people into a hardware lineup that is doomed to be replaced by complete new machines each year and without ability to transfer boards (at least easily). Framework focused on that, i run a framework 13. its infinitely more accessible, elegant in repair, fully modular and can be repurposed or improved as new parts roll out. Chassis, boards and drivers are designed to work across the board (except the framework 16, its designed for that form factors boards but is still a FANTASTIC system as much as the 13).
But once you open it the parts are serialized and even if you could get a replacement part it will not work. This is why we need right to repair laws in all 50 states Lenovo makes junk products, when it was IBM the products were good.
@@anivicuno9473tbf, as much as I love my Lenovo thinkpad laptops they have a tendency to have all the screws loosen overtime, especially the batteries, and on a couple that I’ve had they needed to be retightened like every month. It’s not always the case, but there is something to be said for using a strong adhesive to keep something firmly in place.
@@unicornpoo7441 if it happens that often something's wrong besides the screw heads, no disrespect. one advantage of philips (and even more for flat) is they permit a little angled approach when necessary.
Yeah instead of banning pentalobe I reckon we just ban phillips (/s). Torx (and pentalobe by extension) are significantly more structurally resilient to stripping and wear.
Still hate that Apple doesn't just use screws for the battery, but at least it's a step in the right direction Now if only they would stop pairing them...
@@lbgstzockt8493 Seriously... Why should Apple allow people to make knock off counterfeit parts? How does that help me as a customer? I like that Apple prevents people from selling me fake parts. That's not a problem .. it's a benefit!
ofc it is, cost and price are 2 very different things. an air bought 3 yerars ago lost sells for 700 now. macbooks are always the cheapest laptops one can buy. a windows machine dies after 2 years, if not, nobody wants it, it has like 0 value. nobody repairs windows machines, why is that, because they are not worth it.
Being made for $200-300 a piece and then the extortionate RAM and SSD upgrades bump up the huge margin even more. It’s shocking what you are getting for the retail price.
I would like to see your source and statics about these claims No body buys a windows laptop after two years? No one fixes a windows laptop? Looooooool @@JohnSmith-pn2vl
@@matthewmershon4792 third party parts will never work and is not part of parts pairing ban, which is a good thing. You don’t want a fake Chinese replica replacing your touchID sensor and breaching your TPM chip, that’s going right back to being anti-consumer.
I just got my m2 13.6 inch repaired and it took about 8 days. I like how there wasn’t any IC chips in the airs and only in the pros making display repairs fairly easily because there’s no chips to switch. I wonder what my engineer has done in the past he’s a magician !!! Thank god I have insurance. *Its just got a small dent in the back right edge now*
“There are a LOT of screws in here” lol, I totally dissembled my dads old Thinkpad X1 carbon gen 3 for fun and there were about 50 tiny screws holding the keyboard on
y but nobody needs that speed anyway, ever, ever. like which video editor, those are the people that transfer large files all the time, buys a base model ? and who else cares? nobody except tubers
@@JohnSmith-pn2vlso, the argument for not having a replaceable SSD is "it's faster this way", and when they say "but it's not really that fast" apple fanboys revert to "who needs that kind of speed, are you bonkers?" Priceless.
So... if you screw down the batteries.. WHY do you need adhesive? Also, taking it apart is just 1/2 the game... can you put it back together without Apple disabling something?
I love how people complain about apple yet ignore almost every other windows laptop that is also difficult to repair, has soldered ram and/or storage, etc. With your logic windows laptops makers can make a reparable device just chose not to.
@@AndrewPL5 Apple is the lead. Every phones and laptops had replaceable batteries until the arrival of iPhones and MacBooks. Then, gone with 3.5mm “courage” jack, then soldered ram and ssd, then serialized parts, then…..
@@MatrixMaverick1980 you give Apple too much credit. It would have all happened anyway even if Apple was first to it or not. Stop blaming them for issues that other manufactures CHOSE to do, they weren't forced. Maybe hold them accountable too instead of blindly blaming one company with a way smaller market share.
@@MatrixMaverick1980andrew was right. Other companies have the choice to make it easy for us consumers but they chose the route apple has taken because it makes them more money. Companies ain’t charity, they’re here to make money and they’ll gonna do it as much as they can stretch reality. Apple has seen how to earn more even if it pisses everyone and that became their “cheatcode” and others followed suit. They see that by removing a headphone port gives them opportunity to sell wireless earphones, others will do it too. They see that by making batteries non removable gives them opportunity to jack up the battery replacement fee, others will do it too. Even by serializing every component they find in their products, they will do it for the sake of profit and others will do it too. You see? Other companies have their choice, but of course their main priority is profit and they see apple leading the way how to do it. And oh yeah, afaik, older models of macbooks have removable batteries.
Have you seen the thickness and bulk of a framework laptop? Everybody wants a thin light laptop so to make it you have to remove upgradable ram and hdd’s
@@bonezedi think it might depend on context of which applications you are using, for instance stress testing with cinebench and then checking thermals is in extreme situations and perhaps not day to day tasks, so for m1 air currently it runs brilliantly and i think the m3 air for day to day tasks should run well too because they have added more passive thermal heat distribution
@@denvernaicker8250 Apple increased the overall density of the chip and the clock speed but didn’t really improve the thermals and didn’t improve the dissipation of heat at all.
Use a suction cup to pop the bottom left and right sides out of the locking tabs and then use a black stick on the inside of the left and right display hinges. Will push the cover right off.
3:26 if the heatshield is the same as the M2, it doesn't just "pop off", far from it. There are at least 50 clips around the perimeter that are a major PITA to remove.
The thing about parts pairing is that it makes apple product worthless to steal. If i had to choose between never having to worry about theft vs. slightly easier/cheaper repair, I'd always choose the former.
Even with the issue of parts pairing still outstanding, I would've thought the provisional score for these new MacBook Air models would be better than 5 out of 10. Compared to teardowns of previous MacBook models, it looks like Apple went quite a long way toward ease of repair.
8 หลายเดือนก่อน +5
5 out of 10 because you still can't replace or upgrade the RAM or SSD, two of the most common things that people want to do with a laptop. Between that and the large number of screws and brackets to remove make that 5 score look about right to me. The fact that you can replace all the ports is a plus; none of them are placed directly on the mainboard.
RAM / Storage isn't a repair factor though, that's an upgrade factor, not to mention that the RAM on Apple Silicon is on the die itself. Makes it a bit difficult to just drop in a bit more.@
8 หลายเดือนก่อน
@@SimplySketchyGT RAM and storage ARE a repair factor. SSDs wear out, sometimes long before the computer is otherwise unusable. RAM is one of the most common component failures.
I swear iFixit used to be more scrutinizing over parts pairing and assemblizing components like making the keyboard and top case one component. Do we just live in a time where that is acceptable now?
They used to, but most manufacturers do the same things and don't expect people to keep their laptops as long anymore. Although I miss the old macbooks that were super reliable and repairable
Pentalobe screws were used because people were stealing display model iPhones and Laptops when the security tag was attached to the back casing and they could remove it with a simple Philips.
This one look pretty solid. Compared to the horrorfying white and black MacBook1,1 ... 4,1 and 5,2, the MacBook Air M3 with all the screws looks pretty cleaned up and easy to repair. Those many tiny screws make it (hopefully) more durable.
Playing devil's advocate, I do think SOME parts pairing is necessary. Things like FaceID and TouchID data seems like the kind of thing you need to keep secure, but that shouldn't apply to a laptop display...
No one really complained when that requirement was discovered with TouchID Home Buttons, due to how it interfaces with the secure enclave. We DID start to complain when swapping OEM display panels began disabling features like TrueTone before Apple upped their game and disabled non-authorized repairs completely at the firmware level.
It's not. They are just sensors. They should sense whatever data they are made for and send that to the logic board. There should be all the crypto magic and Secure Enclave things going on, that decided weather the received data seems legit or not.
That can still be safely done as-is. Just not make it hot-swappable (meaning once disconnected and reconnected, you need to restart your phone) and require pin code to enable biometrics. That would make any attempt to use fake sensor to unlock your device impossible. Heck, you could even save some apple encryption key to every biometric sensor and the phone would just check if the sensor is genuine Apple part, regardless of the ID, making it possible to use donor iphone. I very much doubt Apple with their R&D budget couldn't figure out anything... Only thing I can't deny is that part pairing makes any attempt to steal an iPhone less attractive by making it harder to sell it for spare parts, but I'm not sure I'd want that if it meant harder, more expensive repairs and sometimes even buying new device just because Apple decided they won't fix it. So... Yeah 🤔
I used to repair laptops about 25 years ago, and this one looks amazingly well-designed. The parts that wear out, like the batteries, ports and hinges are all modular. The use of space is very efficient, and the assembly is immaculate. Plates with screws add rigidity and reliability. If there is no code that prevents parts from being swapped in, I'd say that this is a very good design, rivaling the old Thinkpads, that were chosen for their repairability and parts availability.
Given that you really want 16GB RAM, it’s all a bit pricey. Second hand prices on M1 are silly strong due to the continuously increasing prices on new macs.
Now if it had replaceable SSDs it would be perfect, or at least an M.2 slot for expandability (Not asking for ram, since that would make them change the SOC architecture, and that might be too much to ask.)
I'm really curious, and I'm probably not getting something, but why are people still against the pentalobe screws? Like, when they were introduced I can get why we hated them but at this point everyone has them, and they've been used for so long it's not like you can just remove them from kits right? Does Apple charge people for them the same way they charge for their lightning? Again, I might be missing something, so I'm really curious what the reasoning is. Love your stuff BTW, everything I've bought from you has been top notch quality!
It's not mentioned with a single word that 1. the SSD is still soldered on the mainboard, it's a wear part that will turn this thing into proper E waste once it reaches it's max write cycles. 2. the RAM is still soldered making replacement impossible 3.there's no cooling system at all which will lead to a battery enjoying the heat output from the nearby SoC ...
this is nonsense, this are the highest quality ssd available, it will outlast the device easily, we talking 15 years here, why would anyone wanna replace ram on a macbook, you just sell yours and buy the one you want, this is the power of second hand apple devices. if a device has even just removable ram the second hand market is destroyed because ppl putting their hands on devices ruins them, even if just replacing ram. everybody solders their ram and ssd. heat on apple silicon is not a thing, well if you synthethic benchmark an entry level machine you will geet heat but then it just throttles, like every other computer in the world, which is just fine. fanless isthe single best Feature of a laptop imo.
@@JohnSmith-pn2vl Well as the end user people should have the freedom of what they do with the device they own. Inceasing the storage or performance through RAM upgrade. I do think Apple Silicon is impressive, but soldered RAM and SSD are the deal breaker for me.
I still wished the M3 MacBook Air had a better cooling system. By very slightly thickening the case, they could have put in a vapor chamber cooling system, which would mean in the occasional need to do more complex tasks, the comptuer will suffer a lot less from heat-related throttling of the SoC.
Agreed. For the life of me I don't understand why they couldn't include even passive cooling in this new chassis. While the M3 throttles less than the M2 thanks to it's improved thermals from the die shrink, it still underperforms from lack of even remedial cooling. Apple really wants people to buy up to those Pro's, don't they?
@@johnnycash5858 Apple already walks a fine line there to limit the temperature of the outer shell slightly under the max temp that legal permits, if you pay attention to those passive cooling mods, any improvement to the thermals of the SOC will just bring more heat to the outer shell and rises up the temperature to a dangerous level that you will suffer low-degree burn if you put the laptop on your lap.
@@jcfawerd How? I’m not talking about shunting the heat into the chassis like the mods you speak of, I’m talking about a proper heat pipe shunting the heat away from the SoC to the vents where the screen meets the chassis. If anything that would make the underside of the laptop cooler as the heat has somewhere else to go besides the bottom case.
@@johnnycash5858 if you are talking about the heat pipe solution, then you are introducing weight to the laptop, then what’s the point of buying a MacBook Air since their new weight are so close to the MacBook Pro as most people buy those MBA for portability.
you have to see it in comparison to other laptops. And since we live in a world where the framework laptop exists, this is absolutely only a 5, especially considering the software lockdown of components that Apple is so notoriously known for.
Mac laptops have always been kinda easy to open. At least ever since they switched to the Unibody design. I've had more trouble opening Microsoft's Surface line.
@@LeftJoystick Everyone loves to gloss over how terrible the surface devices are to repair. As though its only apple thats evil enough to have thought of glue. My old, work provided surface literally blew itself apart when the battery swelled, as I had no other choice than to continue using it after the battery died. Opening the thing to replace it would have destroyed the screen, literally noone had managed to actually open that model without damaging it irreparably.
To me, it makes almost no difference if there are screws or glue. Anyway, reair does not happen often. What matters for repairability is if you CAN replace battery, memory, SSD for reasonable money when these parts are out of function or need upgrade in 5 years. And have it for reasonable money, I mean, less than the price for new machine. Unless it is satisfired it should be scored 0 on one to ten.
What about parts harvesting? If tech repair is like auto repair, does that mean somebody is going to steal my Tech equivalent of a catalytic converter?
How is that just a 5? Simple Screws, and some glue pull taps should not call for 5 points. That is a 7 or 8 easily. This was super trivial, all you need is a pentalobe screwdriver, and the board is super clean and organised.
I think the fact you have to go back to Apple to purchase replacement parts or to have them 'paired' in the software (or they don't work, even if they are easy to physically change over) is why they are still giving them a low score.
I’m sorry what? The 13 inch air is significantly lighter than either of the pro models. The 15 inch air is close to the 14 inch pro, but still lighter. How is that confusing?
great video and insightful in general to right to repair and how that applies to latest macbooks, i find the screw assembly to be a bit more elegant rather than having sticky glue everywhere even though it might cause contention with getting the exact parts later down the line
@@AppleFan-md9sp Physical access is total access. Replaceable Touch ID will not be the reason someone breaks into a MacBook, an undiscovered zero day will be.
People in this comment section just irks me. Seems like nothing will make you guys happy with apple until maybe they make all of their products free. I guess even then you will still find something to criticized them with. Because of course, apple is a charitable company without need to make any profit whatsoever to pay their employees. They all just work for free. Let’s forget that they are the only top 5 companies that haven’t done any layoffs these past years
@@ericmatthews8497 just because YOU havent had them fail on you, doesnt mean that repair should be ignored. id rather have something i can use third party hardware within and not be locked out of my device as a hostile and excessive "security" design. Why nobody would care as much if apple didnt make it impossible to service their laptops with cheap parts. does nobody remember iPhone repairs being super easy to do with a few bucks??? its become a cash-grab from companies to design their products to be replaced entirely at full cost as soon as something minor fails. cameras not working after replacement? poweroff when lid closed not working after replacement?? SSD MODULES BEING LOCKED TO A SPECIFIC BOARD SERIAL NUMBER??? theres literally no excuse other than greed and funneling people away from small repair shops that dont cost as much as a replacement device at MSRP.
@@ericmatthews8497 I owned three macbooks, each have problems (charging port, display, bad rams). I also have a scrap acer laptop for 10 years, never had a problem.
Actually looks really repairable. And very pretty inside too. I am surprised how small motherboards are getting.
i am surprised at the 5/10, it seemed pretty good all around. Was the missing 5 just because of parts pairing?
@@MorningNapalm yeah because all the modularity doesn't matter if it doesn't work. If they can guarantee no parts pairing It would probably be an 7-8.
@@MorningNapalmShe mentioned considering parts pairing for the score.
@@MorningNapalmWell, you can't repair SSD/RAM easily at all
@@MorningNapalmBecause many parts are not replaceable. Network, RAM and most importantly SSD is not replaceable. This means if your SSD dies, your entire device is dead
Dang, 6 years later and AirPower jokes are still a thing 😂
Release the inmate!
I am Alex Hollings and THIS is AirPower! If you know what I mean 🙂.
I was expecting an Apple Maps joke.
Frick me, has it really been 6 years?
I guess, only EU can force Apple to stop Parts Pairing. Hopefully, one day.
Parts pairing maybe makes sense on phones because they're literally stolen out of people's hands and then broken down for parts and sold, and Apple perhaps have a duty to reduce the incentive to commit what are sometimes quite violent muggings. Stolen laptops and tablets are much more likely to be sold whole though.
@@liamness So because a tiny fraction of devices gets stolen means taht ALL devices should be unrepairable? Cars also get stolen routinely, yet we can repair those just fine.
@@lbgstzockt8493It's not a tiny fraction, it's one of the most common forms of petty crime today. A few days ago a neighbour of mine saw a heavily pregnant woman get shoved onto her stomach as a thief snatched her phone. At least when cars get nicked the owners generally aren't actually with the vehicle. test
only consumers can. just stop buying anything but groceries.
Keep Parts Pairing, but allow me to discard broken mac to be a parts donor.
I missed it: what's the "tiniest change"?
No more adhesives so this will make repairability from third party shops a decent experience.
That it's 1% closer to Thinkpad-levels of repairability.
0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% @@Ptero4
Still deserves a automatic 0/10 for parts pairing/software locks, riveted keyboard and non-upgradeable soldered-on storage.
How often will you replace Touch ID on your laptop? And didn’t you notice keyboards without rivots feel a lot worse and even quality windows laptops now use them? And finally if you buy a MacBook Air you know you can’t upgrade the storage
And RAM, which in 2024 should be MINIMUM 16 with 24 or so being the norm imo. Mostly because a device with 8 GB of RAM bought in 2024 won't last long, seeing that every single year the RAM taken by the OS increases.
@ilbufalantdellefigurine4488 there's the ball licker...
@@XAV-117One reason is that the chips storing the data will fail some day. The other is that if you need more space in the future, you can just go out and buy a $100 1 TB drive instead of paying the Apple tax of $3000 for a new Mac with that storage.
I have also seen on Rossmann’s TH-cam that Apple places 12V rails close to the memory chips on some Macs. That means if a liquid gets in there and shorts that rail to the chip, bye bye chip.
@@XAV-117 it saves so much space
The worst example of anti-repair I've seen to this date (that's somehow even worse than Apple's) is still the onewheel.
Wanna replace the tyre because it got used up? Umm, no... You gotta disconnect the battery, which would wipe the volotile ROM holding the firmware, bricking your board.
Imagine sending your car to the manufacturer just to swap the tyres...
Which onewheel? What is that?
@@tomaszwisniewski5583 Can you seriously not google "onewheel" and look up the 1st result? Come on, it took you more time and energy to write that question than to google it.
Szczerze. To nie jest aż takie trudne.
whats onewheel
@@aviwad Open up google, type in "onewheel" and just click the FIRST link that comes up, you will most likely end up on Future Motion's website... Jesus...
That's not the case on the pint, I'm not sure about the GT or the pintx though.
I bought one of your tool kits and I am absolutely loving it. I used it to fix my iPhone 6. You guys and other tech tubers are my inspiration to fix and explore tech❤
So, if the battery is held in place with four screws and they are already using screws that double-up as posts for clipping on the cover, why not get rid of the adhesive altogether? Use two more of those screw/posts in the corners of the device and make it simple and easy? Just like my old 2011 MacBook Air?
I’d be interested to know if there are any actual engineering reasons for this beyond trying to be difficult. I would say that it might make assembly easier, but they have to do the screws on half of it anyway. Maybe they install it with glue first and then add the screws later because it’s faster or easier?
Most likely vibration isolation for frequency/wifi reasons.
It‘s like being a kid and taking a watch apart. The trick is putting it back together. 😉
Watch it in reverse
i used to fix computers a few decades ago.. i understand the principle of 'right to repair' and all that, great stuff, but compared to what i used to do to just get inside a laptop these modern machines are infinitely more simplistic -for lack of a better term.
a few months ago i helped a neighbor w/ a lenovo T something, maybe 14... it felt like the engineers put time in designing things in such a way that the disassembly is foolproof. an actual pleasure :)
the issue is that lenovo has a focus on ICT industry and tries to keep things fixable in some way.
but soldered on-board memory and storage along with proprietary hardware with no 3rd party alternatives that work reliably (as intended by apple) we had an absurd increase of who can make the smallest and lightest machine, but also force people into a hardware lineup that is doomed to be replaced by complete new machines each year and without ability to transfer boards (at least easily).
Framework focused on that, i run a framework 13.
its infinitely more accessible, elegant in repair, fully modular and can be repurposed or improved as new parts roll out.
Chassis, boards and drivers are designed to work across the board (except the framework 16, its designed for that form factors boards but is still a FANTASTIC system as much as the 13).
lenovo quality got worse and worse, i went back to macbook air because i was unlucky twice with lenovo thinkpads.
Built for automated recycling disassembly
But once you open it the parts are serialized and even if you could get a replacement part it will not work.
This is why we need right to repair laws in all 50 states
Lenovo makes junk products, when it was IBM the products were good.
@@johnsparozich6839 Also, on mine the mainboard died which made it a financial total loss.
I find it funny that half the battery is screwed in. It proves that they can make the battery easily replaceable but don't want to.
Securing is not the same as attaching and ensuring that a device you move around all the time doesn't have internal bits floating/buzzing around
@@Alejandrolanza
Somehow, every other laptop maker has figured out how to use screws to secure batteries.
You don't need glue to "secure" the battery
@@anivicuno9473tbf, as much as I love my Lenovo thinkpad laptops they have a tendency to have all the screws loosen overtime, especially the batteries, and on a couple that I’ve had they needed to be retightened like every month. It’s not always the case, but there is something to be said for using a strong adhesive to keep something firmly in place.
@@Alejandrolanza🤡
@@anivicuno9473 Every other laptop manufacturer has way less battery life and thicker laptops.
I really don’t mind the pentalobe screws. Just about any screw driver set features one.
I've never stripped a pentalobe but Lord knows how many Philips head screws I have ruined
@@unicornpoo7441 if it happens that often something's wrong besides the screw heads, no disrespect.
one advantage of philips (and even more for flat) is they permit a little angled approach when necessary.
Exactly, I can’t see what the big deal is.
Yeah instead of banning pentalobe I reckon we just ban phillips (/s). Torx (and pentalobe by extension) are significantly more structurally resilient to stripping and wear.
literally nobody (aside from apple) uses pentalobe. it's nonstandard. they're also can't be used more than a few times. just use torx everywhere.
For once, I don't hate the disassembly procedures. The double sided stretch tape is an oddly decent choice by Apple.
You know things have gotten bad when you're happy that unnecessary adhesive is just made easier to remove.
Still hate that Apple doesn't just use screws for the battery, but at least it's a step in the right direction
Now if only they would stop pairing them...
I actually like pentalobe screws because they don't strip
Ever heard of torx?
parts pairing ban > manuals
Information on broken pairing - yes. Enforcement - no, or opt-in for user.
Dang, I clicked the video just to see and it turns out it's one of the most well-made and ear catching videos I've seen in the last months
Only because the presenter is hot 🤣
Software locks deserve an automatic 0/10 or disqualification.
Whats the point of repairing a laptop if you cant repair it successfully?
What is the point of repairing a laptop with a cheaply made Chinese scam part?
@@ericmatthews8497 Nice strawman
@@lbgstzockt8493 Seriously... Why should Apple allow people to make knock off counterfeit parts? How does that help me as a customer? I like that Apple prevents people from selling me fake parts. That's not a problem .. it's a benefit!
Well evidently not every part is software locked. So the device gets a score based on the repairs that are possible despite the software lock.
@@ericmatthews8497 Tbf Apple made at least some of their stuff in China
I’d watch a documentary on the “Right to Fix” movement. There’s a lot of weight against that and am impressed how far it has gone.
This is the most entertaining and well-crafted take-apart video I have ever watched
The profit margins on these appears massive. And that is not a good thing for consumers.
ofc it is, cost and price are 2 very different things.
an air bought 3 yerars ago lost sells for 700 now.
macbooks are always the cheapest laptops one can buy.
a windows machine dies after 2 years, if not, nobody wants it, it has like 0 value.
nobody repairs windows machines, why is that, because they are not worth it.
Being made for $200-300 a piece and then the extortionate RAM and SSD upgrades bump up the huge margin even more. It’s shocking what you are getting for the retail price.
new to the apple business model?
I would like to see your source and statics about these claims
No body buys a windows laptop after two years?
No one fixes a windows laptop?
Looooooool
@@JohnSmith-pn2vl
Yes fixable only if you can get reasonable priced replacement parts!!
which will always cost more than a new machine, naively speaking.
One thing that Right to Repair doesn't tackle is reasonably priced parts.
Which is the big point in part pairing ban. You will be able to buy cheap third party or used parts that were cannibalized from broken devices.
@@matthewmershon4792 third party parts will never work and is not part of parts pairing ban, which is a good thing. You don’t want a fake Chinese replica replacing your touchID sensor and breaching your TPM chip, that’s going right back to being anti-consumer.
If the bills can stop Apple from pairing parts altogether then I'm really looking forward to the future of the MacBooks.
I just got my m2 13.6 inch repaired and it took about 8 days. I like how there wasn’t any IC chips in the airs and only in the pros making display repairs fairly easily because there’s no chips to switch. I wonder what my engineer has done in the past he’s a magician !!! Thank god I have insurance. *Its just got a small dent in the back right edge now*
“There are a LOT of screws in here”
lol, I totally dissembled my dads old Thinkpad X1 carbon gen 3 for fun and there were about 50 tiny screws holding the keyboard on
Ironically, M3 MBA is STILL slower than M1 MBA's SSD speed.
y but nobody needs that speed anyway, ever, ever.
like which video editor, those are the people that transfer large files all the time, buys a base model ?
and who else cares? nobody except tubers
@@JohnSmith-pn2vl Many 'nobodies' does care, and it's still ironic nonethless
@@JohnSmith-pn2vlWatch last MaxTech video - everybody needs it.
@@JohnSmith-pn2vlso, the argument for not having a replaceable SSD is "it's faster this way", and when they say "but it's not really that fast" apple fanboys revert to "who needs that kind of speed, are you bonkers?"
Priceless.
So... if you screw down the batteries.. WHY do you need adhesive? Also, taking it apart is just 1/2 the game... can you put it back together without Apple disabling something?
why would you not be able to put it back together? Apple doesnt disable anything when the machine is taking a part...
Because if you try to remove glue its easier that you can break something by accident.
I'll say that Macbook is pretty fixable if not for its software support
If Framework can make reparable device then Apple definitely can but didn't choose to.
I love how people complain about apple yet ignore almost every other windows laptop that is also difficult to repair, has soldered ram and/or storage, etc. With your logic windows laptops makers can make a reparable device just chose not to.
@@AndrewPL5 Apple is the lead. Every phones and laptops had replaceable batteries until the arrival of iPhones and MacBooks. Then, gone with 3.5mm “courage” jack, then soldered ram and ssd, then serialized parts, then…..
@@MatrixMaverick1980 you give Apple too much credit. It would have all happened anyway even if Apple was first to it or not. Stop blaming them for issues that other manufactures CHOSE to do, they weren't forced. Maybe hold them accountable too instead of blindly blaming one company with a way smaller market share.
@@MatrixMaverick1980andrew was right. Other companies have the choice to make it easy for us consumers but they chose the route apple has taken because it makes them more money. Companies ain’t charity, they’re here to make money and they’ll gonna do it as much as they can stretch reality. Apple has seen how to earn more even if it pisses everyone and that became their “cheatcode” and others followed suit. They see that by removing a headphone port gives them opportunity to sell wireless earphones, others will do it too. They see that by making batteries non removable gives them opportunity to jack up the battery replacement fee, others will do it too. Even by serializing every component they find in their products, they will do it for the sake of profit and others will do it too. You see? Other companies have their choice, but of course their main priority is profit and they see apple leading the way how to do it. And oh yeah, afaik, older models of macbooks have removable batteries.
Have you seen the thickness and bulk of a framework laptop? Everybody wants a thin light laptop so to make it you have to remove upgradable ram and hdd’s
Impressive!
Please a battery test of all macbook silicon laptops except the (m1 m2 m3) max
are the thermals better managed in m3 air vs m1 air?
Probably not. The M3 has more heat issues than the M1
@@SA-xf7pchow so?
and can you improve heat dissipation in any way?
@@bonezedi think it might depend on context of which applications you are using, for instance stress testing with cinebench and then checking thermals is in extreme situations and perhaps not day to day tasks, so for m1 air currently it runs brilliantly and i think the m3 air for day to day tasks should run well too because they have added more passive thermal heat distribution
@@denvernaicker8250 Apple increased the overall density of the chip and the clock speed but didn’t really improve the thermals and didn’t improve the dissipation of heat at all.
where to get a battery?
Use a suction cup to pop the bottom left and right sides out of the locking tabs and then use a black stick on the inside of the left and right display hinges. Will push the cover right off.
Black stick? Is this a technical term?
Can you remove just the backplate without voiding the warranty
To be honest, in terms of servicing, I'm positively surprised here! As long as the parts pairing is gone, this is perfectly doable!
It is not, you're out of your gosh darn mind.
@@bapt_andthebasses small wins are worth celebrating! And for apple, this is definitely an improvement!
3:26 if the heatshield is the same as the M2, it doesn't just "pop off", far from it. There are at least 50 clips around the perimeter that are a major PITA to remove.
The thing about parts pairing is that it makes apple product worthless to steal. If i had to choose between never having to worry about theft vs. slightly easier/cheaper repair, I'd always choose the former.
Even with the issue of parts pairing still outstanding, I would've thought the provisional score for these new MacBook Air models would be better than 5 out of 10. Compared to teardowns of previous MacBook models, it looks like Apple went quite a long way toward ease of repair.
5 out of 10 because you still can't replace or upgrade the RAM or SSD, two of the most common things that people want to do with a laptop. Between that and the large number of screws and brackets to remove make that 5 score look about right to me. The fact that you can replace all the ports is a plus; none of them are placed directly on the mainboard.
RAM / Storage isn't a repair factor though, that's an upgrade factor, not to mention that the RAM on Apple Silicon is on the die itself. Makes it a bit difficult to just drop in a bit more.@
@@SimplySketchyGT RAM and storage ARE a repair factor. SSDs wear out, sometimes long before the computer is otherwise unusable. RAM is one of the most common component failures.
I swear iFixit used to be more scrutinizing over parts pairing and assemblizing components like making the keyboard and top case one component. Do we just live in a time where that is acceptable now?
They used to, but most manufacturers do the same things and don't expect people to keep their laptops as long anymore. Although I miss the old macbooks that were super reliable and repairable
Just look at how thin a device is the keyboard and top case probably needs to be one piece.
Pentalobe screws were used because people were stealing display model iPhones and Laptops when the security tag was attached to the back casing and they could remove it with a simple Philips.
It’s so unfair for Apple to not let us re-code the M3 chip itself. Can’t believe this. Waaa waaa
I haven’t torn apart many non-Apple machines. I’m curious, have you ever seen anything this elegantly engineered?
Not an Apple fan at all but that looked way better than a 5/10 tbh.
Interesting upgrades.
Apple will just cut off software updates earlier.
why would they do that, they are leading in that regard since like forever
If it wasn't for the shenanigans apple pulls with the software lockout for repairs, this seem very easy to do.
This one look pretty solid. Compared to the horrorfying white and black MacBook1,1 ... 4,1 and 5,2, the MacBook Air M3 with all the screws looks pretty cleaned up and easy to repair. Those many tiny screws make it (hopefully) more durable.
Modular ports are fantastic. You have to appreciate being able to pop out a dead port and pop in a live one.
Playing devil's advocate, I do think SOME parts pairing is necessary. Things like FaceID and TouchID data seems like the kind of thing you need to keep secure, but that shouldn't apply to a laptop display...
No one really complained when that requirement was discovered with TouchID Home Buttons, due to how it interfaces with the secure enclave. We DID start to complain when swapping OEM display panels began disabling features like TrueTone before Apple upped their game and disabled non-authorized repairs completely at the firmware level.
It's not. They are just sensors. They should sense whatever data they are made for and send that to the logic board. There should be all the crypto magic and Secure Enclave things going on, that decided weather the received data seems legit or not.
@@zahlex the fear is that these sensors could be swapped on a targeted attack and modified for example to capture and extract your fingerprint.
That can still be safely done as-is. Just not make it hot-swappable (meaning once disconnected and reconnected, you need to restart your phone) and require pin code to enable biometrics. That would make any attempt to use fake sensor to unlock your device impossible. Heck, you could even save some apple encryption key to every biometric sensor and the phone would just check if the sensor is genuine Apple part, regardless of the ID, making it possible to use donor iphone.
I very much doubt Apple with their R&D budget couldn't figure out anything...
Only thing I can't deny is that part pairing makes any attempt to steal an iPhone less attractive by making it harder to sell it for spare parts, but I'm not sure I'd want that if it meant harder, more expensive repairs and sometimes even buying new device just because Apple decided they won't fix it.
So... Yeah 🤔
I thought part pairing was to stop people stealing and selling for spare parts
I used to repair laptops about 25 years ago, and this one looks amazingly well-designed. The parts that wear out, like the batteries, ports and hinges are all modular. The use of space is very efficient, and the assembly is immaculate. Plates with screws add rigidity and reliability. If there is no code that prevents parts from being swapped in, I'd say that this is a very good design, rivaling the old Thinkpads, that were chosen for their repairability and parts availability.
She got a salty apple hater persona😂
I absolutely love how you remind me of Dr. Ellie Sattler from Jurassic Park
Laura Dern?
I don't see it
why the heck are we still complaining about Pintal lobe screws when it is an easily accessible and well designed screw for all.
Given that you really want 16GB RAM, it’s all a bit pricey. Second hand prices on M1 are silly strong due to the continuously increasing prices on new macs.
I really hate the notch design... 😅
Design-wise, the 2020 version(m1 gen) looks much more cooler to me.🤣
same here. Hepefully in a few generations the notch will disappear
The notch would be better on smartphones, but NOT on desktops and laptops
Now if it had replaceable SSDs it would be perfect, or at least an M.2 slot for expandability
(Not asking for ram, since that would make them change the SOC architecture, and that might be too much to ask.)
That would MacBooks more appealing to me.
I'm really curious, and I'm probably not getting something, but why are people still against the pentalobe screws? Like, when they were introduced I can get why we hated them but at this point everyone has them, and they've been used for so long it's not like you can just remove them from kits right? Does Apple charge people for them the same way they charge for their lightning? Again, I might be missing something, so I'm really curious what the reasoning is. Love your stuff BTW, everything I've bought from you has been top notch quality!
No, it means you need to drive out of Oregon to get your Mac fixed.
It's not mentioned with a single word that 1. the SSD is still soldered on the mainboard, it's a wear part that will turn this thing into proper E waste once it reaches it's max write cycles. 2. the RAM is still soldered making replacement impossible 3.there's no cooling system at all which will lead to a battery enjoying the heat output from the nearby SoC ...
this is nonsense, this are the highest quality ssd available, it will outlast the device easily, we talking 15 years here, why would anyone wanna replace ram on a macbook, you just sell yours and buy the one you want, this is the power of second hand apple devices.
if a device has even just removable ram the second hand market is destroyed because ppl putting their hands on devices ruins them, even if just replacing ram.
everybody solders their ram and ssd.
heat on apple silicon is not a thing, well if you synthethic benchmark an entry level machine you will geet heat but then it just throttles, like every other computer in the world, which is just fine.
fanless isthe single best Feature of a laptop imo.
@@JohnSmith-pn2vl Well as the end user people should have the freedom of what they do with the device they own. Inceasing the storage or performance through RAM upgrade.
I do think Apple Silicon is impressive, but soldered RAM and SSD are the deal breaker for me.
I wonder how many work shifts it takes for the factory workers to be able to assemble these machines without referencing the instructions?
I still wished the M3 MacBook Air had a better cooling system. By very slightly thickening the case, they could have put in a vapor chamber cooling system, which would mean in the occasional need to do more complex tasks, the comptuer will suffer a lot less from heat-related throttling of the SoC.
Agreed. For the life of me I don't understand why they couldn't include even passive cooling in this new chassis. While the M3 throttles less than the M2 thanks to it's improved thermals from the die shrink, it still underperforms from lack of even remedial cooling. Apple really wants people to buy up to those Pro's, don't they?
@@johnnycash5858 Apple already walks a fine line there to limit the temperature of the outer shell slightly under the max temp that legal permits, if you pay attention to those passive cooling mods, any improvement to the thermals of the SOC will just bring more heat to the outer shell and rises up the temperature to a dangerous level that you will suffer low-degree burn if you put the laptop on your lap.
@@jcfawerd How? I’m not talking about shunting the heat into the chassis like the mods you speak of, I’m talking about a proper heat pipe shunting the heat away from the SoC to the vents where the screen meets the chassis. If anything that would make the underside of the laptop cooler as the heat has somewhere else to go besides the bottom case.
@@johnnycash5858 if you are talking about the heat pipe solution, then you are introducing weight to the laptop, then what’s the point of buying a MacBook Air since their new weight are so close to the MacBook Pro as most people buy those MBA for portability.
still have a rivet screw in MacBook keyboard?
She is giving me Laura Dern in Jurassic Park kinda vibes
that was my first though when the video started... glad i'm not alone
This was actually surprisingly straightforward. similarly sized windows devices often aren't that straightforward
in part because Apple silicon which is more compact (and the side effect is we couldn't do anything with it)
The only parts that have pairing is the Touch ID everything else is calibration.
@iFixit
Is there anything different hardware wise that differs the m3 chip from the m1 chip in terms of supporting dual monitors?
Enjoyed the nautical humor but I'm afraid the ports are on the starboard.
Not with the laptop right side up
Why the heck did you guys give it only a 5/10 score ??
because then what would you give the Framework laptop? A 20 out of 10?
@@ActuallyAwesomeName give it a 9. Why give 20?
Is it possible to replace the keyboard easily? How about for example switching an ISO keyboard for a JIS one?
impossible
No glue, modular I/O, why does it still gets 5/10?
you have to see it in comparison to other laptops. And since we live in a world where the framework laptop exists, this is absolutely only a 5, especially considering the software lockdown of components that Apple is so notoriously known for.
@@ActuallyAwesomeNameI guess that makes sense.
honestly a provisional 5 is way higher than i though a MacBook Air would be
Mac laptops have always been kinda easy to open. At least ever since they switched to the Unibody design.
I've had more trouble opening Microsoft's Surface line.
@@LeftJoystick Everyone loves to gloss over how terrible the surface devices are to repair. As though its only apple thats evil enough to have thought of glue. My old, work provided surface literally blew itself apart when the battery swelled, as I had no other choice than to continue using it after the battery died. Opening the thing to replace it would have destroyed the screen, literally noone had managed to actually open that model without damaging it irreparably.
my god, those screwsssss, i miss the gold old HP Elitebook, almost no unnecessary screws to repair !!
Fantastic Breakdown and ever relevant commentary even for the overall environment to drive the important messages
To me, it makes almost no difference if there are screws or glue. Anyway, reair does not happen often. What matters for repairability is if you CAN replace battery, memory, SSD for reasonable money when these parts are out of function or need upgrade in 5 years. And have it for reasonable money, I mean, less than the price for new machine. Unless it is satisfired it should be scored 0 on one to ten.
What about parts harvesting? If tech repair is like auto repair, does that mean somebody is going to steal my Tech equivalent of a catalytic converter?
Thank you Oregon I guess?
I can't understand why you'd want to replace pentalobe screws with..phillips? So they get stripped the first time you'd open them?
Could do something more standardized like Torx.
@@jo.v-c didn’t know that was a more available standard. I’d take it.
Yea.. like a fly landing on the screen, splitting the screen in half.
all of this modularity does not matter if parts prices are so high, especially when the machine ages
How is that just a 5? Simple Screws, and some glue pull taps should not call for 5 points. That is a 7 or 8 easily. This was super trivial, all you need is a pentalobe screwdriver, and the board is super clean and organised.
I think the fact you have to go back to Apple to purchase replacement parts or to have them 'paired' in the software (or they don't work, even if they are easy to physically change over) is why they are still giving them a low score.
No ssd ram cpu replacement
It's an SOC. Of course you can't replace RAM or the CPU. It's ridiculous that people even complain about this. @@7hx89
I just cannot understand why u are upset about the pentalope Screws. Phillips Head are much easier to break.
Then use torx, which are still much more widespread
at least the inside is beautifully clean
This was not as brutal to watch as a JerryRigEverything video and for that I say *thank you* very much.
Just for information: European Union introduces the law of right of repair to endusers. This means a lot regarding repairing possibility of devices.
I’m sorry what? The 13 inch air is significantly lighter than either of the pro models. The 15 inch air is close to the 14 inch pro, but still lighter. How is that confusing?
I feel like people are sometimes too sensitive when it comes to repairability.
I legitimately prefer Pentalobes, Torx, and Hex to Phillips. Lets just get rid of Phillips instead.
i hate how easy it is to damage a phillips screw
@@simpson6700 Exactly. Plus, we have these nice iFixit kits...might as well use the fancier screws :)))
They put a notch on a laptop display... oh god
Awesome! Good humour and clean removals.
Every new generation of apple products proves that my Framework Laptop is still the best. I bought mine 2 years ago and never look back.
1:51 hey at least the battery is easier to remove!
great video and insightful in general to right to repair and how that applies to latest macbooks, i find the screw assembly to be a bit more elegant rather than having sticky glue everywhere even though it might cause contention with getting the exact parts later down the line
Does the ban on part pairing apply to stuff like Touch ID ? and if so is it a security risk ?
If Touch ID will not be paired to the CPU, it will be a security risk.
@@AppleFan-md9sp Physical access is total access. Replaceable Touch ID will not be the reason someone breaks into a MacBook, an undiscovered zero day will be.
@@AppleFan-md9sp Why?
Cool video!
Why it feels like mobile phone from the inside more than to feel like a laptop
Nice video, but am I the only one seeing her as Laura Dern from Jurassic Park?
People in this comment section just irks me. Seems like nothing will make you guys happy with apple until maybe they make all of their products free. I guess even then you will still find something to criticized them with. Because of course, apple is a charitable company without need to make any profit whatsoever to pay their employees. They all just work for free. Let’s forget that they are the only top 5 companies that haven’t done any layoffs these past years
Guaranteed to break something with every disassembly
I have owned MacBooks since they were called PowerBooks and I have never had one fail on me. Isn't that better than repairability? I think it is.
@@ericmatthews8497 just because YOU havent had them fail on you, doesnt mean that repair should be ignored.
id rather have something i can use third party hardware within and not be locked out of my device as a hostile and excessive "security" design. Why nobody would care as much if apple didnt make it impossible to service their laptops with cheap parts. does nobody remember iPhone repairs being super easy to do with a few bucks???
its become a cash-grab from companies to design their products to be replaced entirely at full cost as soon as something minor fails.
cameras not working after replacement? poweroff when lid closed not working after replacement?? SSD MODULES BEING LOCKED TO A SPECIFIC BOARD SERIAL NUMBER???
theres literally no excuse other than greed and funneling people away from small repair shops that dont cost as much as a replacement device at MSRP.
@@ericmatthews8497 I owned three macbooks, each have problems (charging port, display, bad rams). I also have a scrap acer laptop for 10 years, never had a problem.
Really great video
Keep up the great work guys and gals!