Repair site iFixit today disassembled the M4 MacBook Air for one of its traditional teardown videos, providing us with a look inside of the machine and giving some insight into its repairability.
There have been no changes to the design and opening process this year, and Apple is continuing to use the same chassis as the M2 model that was introduced in 2022. While Apple implemented iPhone battery adhesive that releases with electricity, the same change hasn't been brought to the Mac lineup yet. The MacBook Air's battery is held in place with traditional adhesive strips that need to be carefully removed.
The USB-C ports, a frequent point of failure, are still easy to access with not too much effort or danger of damaging other internal components. The display, the keyboard, and the Touch ID button remain difficult to access.
iFixit didn't note any changes to the arrangement of internal components, which is not surprising given that the only updates were to the webcam and the Apple silicon chip.
The site said that the MacBook Air has the potential to earn a good repairability score thanks to Apple's extensive product manuals and parts option, but there continue to be issues with parts pairing and calibration when using components not bought directly from Apple. Overall, iFixit gave the MacBook Air a repairability score of 5 out of 10.
Top Rated Comments
M1 write = 2221 MB/s
M2 write = 1584.3 MB/s
M3 write = 2108.9 MB/s
M4 write = between 1919 MB/s and 1966 MB/s (based on 2 people)
M1 read = 2910 MB/s
M2 read = 1576.4 MB/s
M3 read = 2880.2 MB/s
M4 read = between 2882 MB/s and 2891 MB/s (based on 2 people)
Imagine if car makers did this. You can buy a battery or an oil filter through a third party that are every bit as good if not better than OEM, but if you dare install either without paying the Apple tax, your entire vehicle is bricked.
Now defend Apple’s parts policies.