While iFixit may not have been the first to tear down the Apple new entry-level MacBook Neo, it is the teardown that many people wait for. Late last week, the teardown enthusiasts finally posted their teardown video, and it reports that the new budget-priced laptop is “the most repairable MacBook in fourteen years.”
For the start, iFixit is impressed that it only takes the removal of eight pentalobe screws to remove the Neo’s lower case, requiring no prying at all. (Although they do express disappointment that Apple continues to pentalobe screws in place of the industry standard Torx screws.)
Upon opening the MacBook Neo, iFixit discovers that the laptop’s internal components were easily visible and provided easy access to internal components, such as the battery, speakers, trackpad and USB-C ports, saying “On most modern laptops, at least one of those parts is buried under something else. Here, Apple actually lets us see the stuff we need to.”
The disassembler applauded the ease of battery removal, as the battery wasn’t glued down or held in place using adhesive strips. Instead, the Neo’s battery is screwed down to a tray, using 18 screws. Users attempting removal of the battery in the future are sure to appreciate this feature, although good luck in keeping track of all 18 screws. The change in how the battery is mounted is likely Apple’s attempt to meet the EU’s upcoming battery requirements, which requires batteries to be user replaceable by mid-2017. We’ll likely see a similar mounting method in future MacBook models.
iFixit continues to express pleasure in the accessibility of the MacBook Neo’s disassembly process, as it worked its way through removing other components, such as the speakers, USB-C connectors, and logic board.
The keyboard is also easily removable, although it is held on with 41 screws (again, good luck with tracking those screws), but at least a keyboard replacement doesn’t require the replacement of the entire top case.
The MacBook Neo is powered by the same A18 Pro that powered the iPhone 16 Pro lineup, so it’s not a big surprise that the logic board of the MacBook Neo and the logic board in the iPhone 16 include several similarities.
The teardown video also points out the absence of “an ambient light sensor cable” that is mentioned in Apple’s MacBook Neo repair manual, as well as the use of a mechanical trackpad, as opposed to the Force Touch trackpad Apple has used in its MacBooks since 2015.
iFixit awards the MacBook Neo a score of 6 out of 10 on its repairability scale (points being subtracted for its non-replaceable components, including storage and RAM). The teardown guru’s call the MacBook Neo “the most repairable MacBook in fourteen years.”
