Apple Doesn't Want You Opening the MacBook Air
Here it is, just in time for the weekend, the latest issue of Gadget Porn Weekly from the folks at iFixit.
On Wednesday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed two new MacBook Airs and gave us a little peek inside the 13-inch version to show how well they'd used the space. Apple used what looks to be more than 50 percent of it just for the battery. So what else is inside? We know Apple offers a max of 4GB of RAM, up to 256GB (128GB for the 11-inch) in SSD storage, an Intel Core 2 Duo and Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics. But there are still things we don't know – like how easy would it be to upgrade the machine at home? We know that to save space, Apple has omitted the SSD enclosure, instead preferring to attach the flash storage directly to the board, so adding more storage is out. But could you upgrade your RAM from 2GB to 4GB yourself? Well, Apple definitely doesn't want you to, that's for sure.
The company has made it especially difficult to get inside these notebooks. iFixit reports that the designers opted for 5-point Security Torx screws to keep the fairy dust and unicorn tears (that's what these things run on, right?) locked up nice and tight. The six battery cells (a total of 35W) and the Toshiba SSD are held in place by, you guessed it, more of those pesky 5-point screws. These 5-point screws show up time and time again throughout the disassembly, each one making self-repair even more unlikely than the last. Still, if you do purchase one, at least you'll be able to send it to the iFixit gadget hospital if it breaks. They sacrificed one of their Phillips head screwdrivers, filing it until it did the trick.
Peep the full gallery (and teardown instructions if you're feeling brave) over on iFixit.
- MacBook ,
- Air ,
- iFixit ,
- Teardown ,
- Disassembly
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eBay and china will fix the screwdriver problem. Ram and storage are totally custom so no easy upgrades.
Never been an apple guy myself
i once had a dream where i made a processor that had gasses inside (im a tech noob btw : P ), in this dream when people opened it up to find out how it works the gasses would escape and my secret was safe, i think steve thinks thats what hes done here.
i once had a dream where i made a processor that had gasses inside (im a tech noob btw : P ), in this dream when people opened it up to find out how it works the gasses would escape and my secret was safe, i think steve thinks thats what hes done here.
One weakness in your plan: anyone who's geeky enough to dismantle a processor in his spare time is used to dangerous gasses, like the ones produced by various entrances and exits of his body after a 72 hour gaming session.
What kind of losers can't find a Torx driver to add to their toolbox? I for one wouldn't trust these noobs to fix anything of mine.