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iFixit launches battery replacement kits for MacBook Pro with Retina Display [Video]

Recent MacBooks aren’t exactly noted for their repairability, a change that started in 2012 with the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. Among the many changes introduced was a battery very firmly glued to the chassis, making it next to impossible to replace.

But iFixit likes a challenge, and has now come up with a DIY battery replacement kit which it reckons allows the job to be tackled by mere mortals …

We’re fixers; it’s in our blood—so when manufacturers present us with a device that’s practically impossible to repair, like the MacBook Pro Retina, we take it as a challenge.

We’ve been working on a DIY repair solution for folks who want to replace the battery in their MacBook Pro Retina for a long time. After a whole lot of testing and experimentation on dozens of formulations, we’re proud to introduce our MacBook Pro Retina Battery Fix Kits. Our glue-busting battery kits have all the tools and instructions you need to replace your own battery.

The company says that the glue was the real challenge: it’s the same industrial-strength glue used to attach exterior panels to skyscrapers. The company finally came up with an approach using a solvent that softens the glue sufficiently to enable the battery to be peeled away from the casing.

There are six different kits, varying by 13- and 15-inch Mac and model year. Prices range from $90 to $120.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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