Apple announced new MacBook computers the other day, and one of them doesn’t have function keys. Instead, it’s got a touch bar display. Weird, right? That one isn’t out yet, but the new MacBook (the one with all the buttons) has fallen into the clutches of the electronic murderers at iFixit. Even if we don’t get to see how that touch bar looks on the inside, there’s a lot of new stuff to see in the 2016 MacBook Pro as its torn asunder.
Getting into MacBook’s is old hat by now — just remove a few of Apple’s traditional pentalobe screws, pry up the case, and you’re in. The power connector is secured with a large security screw, which is new this year. The trackpad is also easier to remove this time, whereas the last MacBook trapped its cabling under the battery. Speaking of the battery, it was glued in pretty well. The capacity is 27% lower than the previous MacBook Pro, but Apple says improvements in hardware mean the battery life is the same.
Going after the core components, iFixit found the SSD was very easy to remove, but it uses a new shape and pin configuration. Next to the vibration-resistant fan are the speaker drivers. The new MacBook Pro has large speaker grilles on either side of the keyboard, but most of that is fake. There are only two small holes for the drivers on each side.
Apple talked up its new thermal control system at the event, but it turns out all that means is putting a few screws in different places (sad trombone). On the logic board (that’s a motherboard in PC-speak) you’ll find the Intel CPU, LPDDR3 RAM, WiFi module, storage controller, and more. The display comes off fairly easily after removing the spring mechanism that holds the display cable flat.
iFixit gave the 2016 MacBook a repairability score of just 2 out of 10 because of the glued in battery, pentalobe screws, soldered in RAM, and proprietary SSD. Hey, at least the trackpad is easy to take out.