Anticipation was high as to what iFixit would find when it opened the MacBook Neo. This is what we revealed.
“I haven’t been this happy with my MacBook since 2012.”
Over the past few days, there have been multiple reports that the MacBook Neo is likely easier to repair due to what the DIY and Repair Rights communities found in Apple’s official repair manual.
Today, iFixit released an exclusive teardown and repairability analysis of the MacBook Neo, finding it to be “the most repairable MacBook of the past 14 years.”
iFixit states from the beginning that the lower case can be opened by hand (after removing the eight pentalobe screws) without the need for picking or prying.
Once that was done, I found that most of the components on my MacBook Neo were easily visible and accessible.
Easily access your battery, speakers, USB-C port, and even your trackpad. In most modern laptops, at least one of these parts is buried beneath the others. Here, Apple is showing us what we actually need.
And when it comes to the battery, iFixit points out that unlike other MacBooks where components are glued to the case or held in place with an adhesive release strip, the battery is simply screwed into the tray. Granted, there are 18 screws, but that’s still good news, even if it’s due to the EU’s upcoming battery regulations.
As the disassembly progresses and components such as the USB-C connector, speakers, and logic board are removed, iFixit seems pleased with the modularity and ease of most of the disassembly process.
Notable points in this video include the similarities between the MacBook Neo and iPhone 16 Pro’s logic boards, the fact that Apple’s teardown manual lists an ambient light sensor cable while the MacBook Neo doesn’t, and the mechanical design of the trackpad.
Finally, while disassembling the keyboard, iFixit states that users will need to remove 41 screws to remove the keyboard, but it is possible to “at least remove the keyboard” and replace it with relative ease.
All told, the MacBook Neo received a 6 out of 10 on iFixit’s repairability scale, making it the “easiest repairable MacBook of the past 14 years,” but it loses some points due to soldered-in elements like storage and RAM.
As a final point, they say:
For a machine aimed at schools and students, this all makes a lot of sense. If Apple wants to enter the education market, it can’t just make cheap MacBooks. You need to build something that can get you through student life and come back from it. Cracked screens, drained batteries, damaged ports, and sticky keys are not unique problems in the classroom. These are job descriptions, and Apple seems to understand that.
Check out iFixit’s complete teardown of the MacBook Neo below.
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(Tag translation) MacBook Neo
