iFixit Shares M4 MacBook Pro Teardown

Repair site iFixit today shared a teardown video of the M4 Pro MacBook Pro, giving us a look inside of the machine. Apple didn't make any external design changes to the ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, but iFixit was hopeful for repairability improvements.


Unfortunately, the M4 Pro ‌MacBook Pro‌ that iFixit took apart was almost identical to the M3 ‌MacBook Pro‌, which means Apple kept almost the same internal design as well.

The M4 Pro ‌MacBook Pro‌ has a larger heatsink than the M3 ‌MacBook Pro‌ for improved heat dissipation, but the battery build and size are the same. Removing the battery still requires removing the trackpad because the battery's adhesive tabs are under the trackpad hardware. Getting to the logic board is "incredibly complex and tedious" due to all the screws and the cables that are in the way.

Overall, repairing and replacing parts in the ‌MacBook Pro‌ has not changed. Apple provides repair information, parts details, tools, and guides on its website.

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
apple c1

Apple Unveils 'C1' as First Custom Cellular Modem

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:08 am PST by
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e. The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
Apple Northbrook

Apple Store Permanently Closing at Struggling Mall in Chicago Area

Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:46 pm PST by
Apple is permanently closing its retail store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago area. The company confirmed the upcoming closure today in a statement, but it has yet to provide a closing date for the location. Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017. Apple confirmed that affected employees will continue to work for the...

Top Rated Comments

c84216 Avatar
13 weeks ago
Why is it “unfortunate” that this is similar to the M3 model and Apple kept the internals the same? Nothing is wrong and nobody was complaining!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nathan_reilly Avatar
13 weeks ago
watching on my completely useless M3 Max MacBook pro ?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Duncan-UK Avatar
13 weeks ago
Although I can appreciate their frustration with the lack of improved repairability, I have to admire the sheer achievements of the modern consumer electronics manufacturing process. I'm continually dazzled by how they manage to pack so much in and have the production facilities to churn these out by the multiple millions. The sheer scale is dizzying.

The "Inside the Factory" nerd in me would love to see the manufacturing process in full of modern laptops, tablets and phones!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nathan_reilly Avatar
13 weeks ago

Why is it “unfortunate” that this is similar to the M3 model and Apple kept the internals the same? Nothing is wrong and nobody was complaining!
I think they're saying it's "unfortunate" bc the narrative of the video starts out with repairability upgrades to other Apple products that have come out recently. so the narrator rhetorically asks if there is more of the same in the M4 MBP. And ofc ifixit has a horse in the repairability race, so I guess you could be cynical and say it's really most "unfortunate" for them. But I happen to like fixing my macs too so I am always hoping for more improvements in this area. So it is a bit unforunate for me as well that nothing as improved in that regard. But then again, I have the previous generation ?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
13 weeks ago
Yes, it's an SoC and display upgrade. The fact that it has the same box art wallpaper hinted at this already. But it's a fairly large jump in processing power and base memory.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
switz Avatar
13 weeks ago
Back in the day when we could swap memory, graphics cards and drives, the iFixit tear downs enables the casual owner the ability to do these simple jobs (like swapping the disc drives in the Mac mini could be a challenge).

Since the done and welded machines became the norm, I have not had issues with Apple Displays, computers, phones or iPads. However, I did have two failures of lithium batteries in the last two iPods I had and took them to Apple to dispose of them (became very pregnant and lifted the glass of the display off the case).

At my age (80 next spring), manual dexterity has declined and a steady hand for tiny parts is no longer an option. Lots of the things I used to do twenty years ago are but fond memories now.

I have no interest in working on the car engines anymore and let the youth do the maintenance. Same goes for electronics today. They just work. The new Apple gear we just acquired may out live me.

If it is not broke, don't fix it :)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)