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Teardown shows new Apple’s 12-inch MacBook adds tamper-evident screws, very minor improvements

12-inch-macbook-teardown

Our friends over at iFixit are doing their ritual teardown of Apple’s new 12-inch MacBook, and while the new device is essentially the same as the previous generation save for some refreshed components, the repair guide site also noticed some tweaks as far as repairability goes.

Most notably, Apple replaced a tri-wing screw with a much more common Phillips screw, which is always a plus for allowing easier repairs, although it continues to use its proprietary Pentalobe screws on the exterior of the case. That might be the only new positive for the updated MacBook, however, as iFixit also notes that it discovered hinge screws for the device which are “filled with some sort of substance that disintegrates when you insert a screwdriver.” The site speculates that it appears to be an Apple effort at “tamper-evident screws,” which in theory could allow the company to know if a third-party or DIY repair attempt has been made voiding warranty. Or as iFixit put it, “make you feel like a hoodlum for repairing your own machine.”

Those pesky tri-wing screws are gone, replaced with lovely standard Phillips screws—but tamper-evident hinge screws make you feel like a hoodlum for repairing your own machine.

The only other notable differences with the machine versus the previous generation, according to iFixit, are minor tweaks to the USB-C hardware:

And at the other end of the MacBook, it seems the USB-C hardware has also changed. The cable is now perma-fixed to the USB board, condensing the two components into a single unit…Also, the silicon is new and moved from the cable itself to the USB board.

And here are the chips found on the device’s logic board:

  • Intel SR2EN Intel Core m3-6Y30 Processor (4M Cache, up to 2.20 GHz)
  • Toshiba TH58TFT0DFKLAVF 128 GB MLC NAND Flash (+ 128 GB on the reverse side for a total of 256 GB)
  • Micron MT41K256M16LY-107 4Gb DDR3L SDRAM
  • Universal Scientific Industrial 339S0250 Wi-Fi Module
  • Broadcom BCM15700A2 (as seen in several other MacBook models)
  • National Semiconductor 48B1-11
  • F4432ACPE-GD-F
  • Toshiba TH58TFT0DFKLAVF 128 GB MLC NAND Flash
  • Apple 338S00066 (Likely an iteration of the 338S00055 SSD controller found in the 2015 Retina MacBook)
  • Samsung K3QF4F4 4 GB LPDDR3 RAM (x2, for a total of 8 GB)
  • Texas Instruments/Stellaris LM4FS1EHSMC Controller (Replacement codename for TM4EA231)
  • SMSC 1704-2 Temperature Sensor
  • Texas Instruments SN650839
  • Texas Instruments TPS51980A
  • Texas Instruments CD3215B01 61AHXHW
  • Intersil 95828

But due to RAM, processors, and other components being soldered to the logic board, a glued-in battery assembly, and a display fused with the glass, the MacBook gets the lowest repairability score possible from the site with a 1 out of 10. 

You can check out the full teardown here.

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Comments

  1. Chris Brighton - 8 years ago

    This wasn’t supposed to be a major update, not quite sure what you were expecting to find.

  2. rogifan - 8 years ago

    Does anybody care about iFixit anymore?

    • AeronPeryton - 8 years ago

      Like a non-religious kid who got invited to a church youth group. Might as well eat the free pizza then just zone out during the sermon.

    • Timur Tripp - 8 years ago

      A more accurate question would be: Does anyone care about seeing what’s inside a device, upgrading it, or repairing it out of warranty? The answer is yes, I’ve used iFixit guides for my own desktop Mac upgrades. The MacBook is (still) a soldered mess with not even the SSD upgradable – and thanks to iFixit, we know that.

      • srgmac - 8 years ago

        Agreed.

      • Jurgis Ŝalna - 8 years ago

        As if there is a single person in universe who would want to open their pink computer themselves.

  3. cjt3007 - 8 years ago

    Not quite sure why you would try repairing your machine if it’s under warranty… that’s what the warranty is for, so Apple can repair it without you screwing things up.

  4. Chris Cicero - 8 years ago

    iFixit needs to get over the idea of repairing modern stuff; it was never meant to be and no one actually tries to do it. How about just changing the name to iOpenit, or, iPeekinside? Thats all we care about, seeing what’s in there.

    • mpias3785 - 8 years ago

      I’ve used iFixit to replace batteries in iPhones and iPads, upgrade older Macs and a few non-Apple computers. Just because Apple is turning its computers into disposable appliances doesn’t mean everyone else is.

    • applegetridofsimandjack - 8 years ago

      There are some people who prefer fixing their devices themselves as Apple chargest trillions of dollars for things like a ram upgrade, battery replacement, etc. Yes the newer the device the less parts you can replace but there are still ways to do it. And iFixit wants to show people how.

    • standardpull - 8 years ago

      I think ifixit is an awesome resource, and I often repair Apple products (with a 100% success rate, I might add).

      I do disagree with ifixit’s idea that specialty screwdrivers are “preventing” anyone from doing anything. The fact is that no one should repair these things if they don’t have the right tools. If a $2.00 tri-wing or 5-point screw head stops anyone from attempting repair on their Mac/iPhone, that’s great… because people simply shouldn’t be in there if all they have is a set of eyeglass repair screwdrivers from the drug store. The correct (and unworn) drivers are always an absolute must, even if Apple exclusively used Phillips 00 throughout.

      Further, I fully agree with Apple in terms of wanting to knowing if the consumer went inside the machine. I always want to know, as a repair person, because many home repair is done by inexperienced amateurs that break more than they fix (look on eBay for broken laptops and phones missing screws and other parts). I have bought and repaired several broken devices that were easily repaired for under $5 – with the only problem being a beginner’s screw-up in home repair (such as a mis-seated or torn cable, missing ground screw, etc).

      Finally, very high levels of integration always make things less repairable, and I fully expect this trend to continue. Remember the days when logic boards had sockets for every chip? When all PC cases were of the “ATX” style? Those days are gone, and are getting further away. I suspect that we’ll see more repair challenges as devices become smaller and more powerful – with waterproof and dustproof designs (glues, epoxy, gaskets, and even tighter designs), successful repair outside of the factory will become more challenging.

      • Jurgis Ŝalna - 8 years ago

        @standardpull I like your clear thinking, esp. regarding screws.
        Tamper evidence is always there anyways. Apple never voids warranty just because you opened your device for cleaning. Although on this device, cleaning is unnecessary. I think this measure is to stop people from even attempting to scam AppleCare – it is fairly well known that people will switch broken parts with devices that are still in warranty. Apple has hardcoded serial numbers on their parts which prevents such scams, but people are naive and still try. Putting tamper evidence screws might stop such attempts.
        Also, screws do fall out themselves even after Apple fixed your laptop.

        The upgradability is somewhat debatable. People do not complain that their smartphones have soldered-in storage, while laptops are different. iDevices are usually fairly well backed up, encrypted and enabled for remote wipe. Laptops though do not offer such protections, so ability to swap out storage is fairly serious option. Some industries even require physical destruction of storage and you wouldn’t want to destroy $2-3k hardware just because of that.

  5. mpias3785 - 8 years ago

    What could possibly be repaired in the MB? I can see replacing major components like the motherboard or display, but aside from the battery possibly needing replacement after a few years, the MB is pretty much a disposable item.

  6. giuseppe9000 - 8 years ago

    12-inch MacBook :
    awesome display + lovely design + computing power comparable to a smartphone

    • applegetridofsimandjack - 8 years ago

      I think this Macbook is faster than the best smartphones on the market. I even think it’s faster than the iPad Pro.

    • realgurahamu - 8 years ago

      Actually with an Intel core M processor it is even more powerful than devices with an atom processor which many smaller laptops have shipped with in the past – much better than smartphones but nowhere near the capabilities of Intel core I series for intensive tasks

      • Robert Alexander Dunlop - 8 years ago

        The Skylake Core M3 in the entry level 12-inch Macbook has comparable processing capabilities to the 2013 Core i5-powered Macbook Air.
        The Skylake Core M5 in the upgraded 12-inch Macbook has comparable processing capabilities to the 2015 Core i5-powered Macbook Air.

  7. applegetridofsimandjack - 8 years ago

    Did anyone really expect any bigger improvement? I mean the 2015 model was already awesome and it was just launched a year ago. Nobody could expect a ram upgrade as 8GB is plenty for such a thin device and for the people it is meant for. 512GB storage, same thing, processor upgrade is really nice and an expected upgrade. Ram speed was upped which is also welcome but it’s not like 1600 MHz was slow. Battery life was upped, the graphics are faster a color was added to the line.

    Pretty much a very nice upgrade I feel, only big disappointment for me is the price point. This device is much too expensive.

  8. Robert - 8 years ago

    “New Apple’s 12 inch MacBook”

    I think you mean “Apple’s new 12 inch MacBook” unless there is a new company also called Apple?

  9. Interactive Arts - 8 years ago

    Practises like these should be made illegal, repair evident screws like come on! You pay €1600+ on this computer and you or any other third party cannot repair the damn thing without breaking a warranty. Surely theres some antitrust issues here, its a free market! You cant take measures to prohibit or punish after market repairs or services, which plays favourably into the hands of Apple Incorporated.

  10. Štěpán Pazderka - 8 years ago

    I just wonder, what if there would be a MacBook Pro with A9X unveiled at WWDC? What if MacBooks will get yearly updates with new A processors every year? What would this rationalization of the entire Mac lineup make with the industry? What if you can literally create a beautifully looking game for iPhone like Vain Glory and bring it to the Mac and have the very same level of performance (as today Macs have terrible performance in gaming compared with iPad for example)

    • Mark3785 (@Mark3785) - 8 years ago

      It would never happen. Maybe with the MacBook because it’s not a real Mac, but never with the MacBook Pro or even MacBook Air. The A processors are, at best, as fast as mid level C2Ds from a decade ago and not x86 compatible. Too many people rely on Bootcamp or an emulator like Parallels to run Windows or Linux and most commercial Mac software is written based on x86 code. The A series chips are fine for low power things like phones, tablets and set-top boxes, but they’re many years, if ever, away from having the power to run an x86 emulator at near its native speed. Don’t forget the PPC debacle.

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.