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Don’t even think about trying to fix the Retina MacBook yourself

Published Apr 15th, 2015 5:37PM EDT
Retina MacBook iFixit Repair Guide
Image: iFixit

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Now that Apple’s 12-inch Retina MacBook is available to the public, popular teardown site iFixit dismantled the laptop in order to take a closer look at some of the new technology used inside Apple’s latest notebook. Unsurprisingly, the Retina MacBook is very difficult to repair and you shouldn’t even think about doing it yourself.

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iFixit’s teardown examines various new features found in the MacBook. Examples include the single USB-C port, the new 29-watt USB-C power adapter, the redesigned keyboard, the terraced battery, the incredibly small motherboard, the Retina screen and the new Force Touch trackpad.

In the end, the site concludes that the new MacBook is very difficult to repair. The publication awarded the Retina MacBook a score of 1 out of 10, listing the various reasons a Retina MacBook repair would be a rather difficult endeavor.

Apple’s proprietary pentalobe screws combined with new cable routing makes opening the device “unnecessarily difficult.” Then the USB-C port is buried under the display brackets, making a replacement troublesome.

Other components are equally difficult, and potentially costly, to repair. The battery is firmly glued to the lower case; the Retina display is a fused unit that lacks protective glass; and the processor, RAM and flash memory are all soldered to the logic board.

The full teardown is available at the source link.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.