‘A Mix of Good Intentions and Frustrating Limitations’: New MacBook Airs No Improvement in Repairability

Earlier this month, Apple unveiled updated 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops, which are powered by Apple’s proprietary M4 processor. Those who expected the new laptops to adopt the iPhone 16’s repairability improvements will be disappointed. iFixit specialists took the device apart and found that repairing the new MacBook Air will be just as difficult as the previous-generation models.

Image source: iFixit

«”We’re sad to report that the m4 MacBook Air doesn’t feature any real improvements in repairability. It’s basically business as usual: a mix of good intentions and frustrating limitations that still doesn’t meet consumer expectations for a premium laptop,” said Elizabeth Chamberlain, director of development at iFixit.

By “good intentions,” Chamberlain means the release of a full service manual for the MacBook Air with the M4 chip, which became available at the same time as the laptop’s release, as well as the ability to independently purchase some spare parts as part of the Apple Self Service Repair program.

There’s little other good news for users expecting the new MacBook Air to be easier to repair. Of course, there are easily accessible and replaceable MagSafe and USB Type-C ports that aren’t glued to the logic board, which iFixit calls “nearly best in class.” The battery is relatively easy to access, but that’s about it. It’s noted that the battery is still attached to the case with adhesive strips, which iFixit says are fairly difficult to remove.

Accessing the display for replacement is also a “complicated, multi-step process,” while replacing the keyboard and power/Touch ID button is described as a “repairability nightmare.” To complicate matters, Apple’s promise to eliminate the need for pairing parts on iPhones, allowing original components to be reused for smartphone repairs, has yet to extend to MacBooks.

IFixit swapped the logic boards of two new MacBook Airs and found that a software lock had been triggered. The System Configuration utility threw an error, disabling the True Tone display feature. Ultimately, the team concluded that replacing components in the new MacBook Airs with M4 chips is just as impractical and difficult as in previous models.

Given all the complexities, iFixit gave the M4 MacBook Air a 5 out of 10 repairability score. “Its repairability is better than the iPad (which is a low bar), but it still falls short of what we consider repairable hardware. Until Apple focuses on the System Configuration software, we won’t see real repairability in any MacBook in their lineup,” Chamberlain concluded.