Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

ifixit.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

311–320 of 520 posts

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#311

Post by dna_polymerase »

zapzupnz wrote: post #308
mscasts wrote: post #293

I love how Apple claim to care so much about the environment and then goes on to create basically the most unfixable pieces of hardware possible. Great job, really awesome for the environment Apple.

I don't understand this comment. So something is difficult to fix; how does this make the components any less recyclable, less free of harmful toxins? Apple has a fairly comprehensive recycling system, to strip their own systems apart and reclaim reusable components. Are you suggesting when people take their MacBooks to get replaced that Apple are just throwing them in a landfill or something?

> I don't understand this comment. So something is difficult to fix; how does this make the components any less recyclable, less free of harmful toxins?

The next best thing to recycling (from an environmental standpoint) is being able to repair and continue usage. However Apple's hardware becomes more and more unfix-able (actually impossible, because parts are basically tailored to a single device, thus there can't be secondary parts, and Apple doesn't provide them at all). Go down the rabbit hole yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTpHa70DDX0

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#312

Post by tonyedgecombe »

ksec wrote: post #277

For those who are not in a hurry to upgrade, ( If you are on 2015 MBP ), the next upgrade which should be soon, will get you WiFi 6 and Icelake, with 20%+ IPC and hopefully Apple will throw in 10 Core Config in as well. I kind of felt Apple rushed as the problem with Keyboard were big enough and Apple had to release something to calm the market, not to mention Intel 10nm Icelake is late as usual. And of all the thing…

For those who are not in a hurry to upgrade

There is always something new just around the corner.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#313

Post by Symbiote »

zapzupnz wrote: post #308
mscasts wrote: post #293

I love how Apple claim to care so much about the environment and then goes on to create basically the most unfixable pieces of hardware possible. Great job, really awesome for the environment Apple.

I don't understand this comment. So something is difficult to fix; how does this make the components any less recyclable, less free of harmful toxins? Apple has a fairly comprehensive recycling system, to strip their own systems apart and reclaim reusable components. Are you suggesting when people take their MacBooks to get replaced that Apple are just throwing them in a landfill or something?

Repairing a device by replacing a small part (preferably only the broken component) uses far less resources than recycling.

For most other laptops, repair or replacement of common components doesn't depend so much on the manufacturer. The skill and equipment required to do the repair is significantly reduced. All else being equal, this makes it more likely that the laptop will be repaired rather than discarded.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#314

Post by oe »

ksec wrote: post #270
choppaface wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Key travel for the 2016 is 1mm. The "bad" keyboards had 0.5-0.7mm travel. 2015 and earlier had 1.2-1.5mm travel. Not sure about the reliability of the new mechanism, but the 2016 keyboard does feel much more like the old 2015 one. https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/11/15/heres-what-the-16...

>Key travel for the 2016 is 1mm Well even your article say the 2016 keyboard are the same to 2017 and 2018 which is 0.6-0.7mm. Although the general accepted Key Travel for 2016 - 2019 15"MBP are 0.5mm.

Maybe they meant the 16" laptop which has 1mm of travel.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#315

Post by _ph_ »

kmlx wrote: post #309
mscasts wrote: post #293

I love how Apple claim to care so much about the environment and then goes on to create basically the most unfixable pieces of hardware possible. Great job, really awesome for the environment Apple.

i don't get it. what does one thing have to do with the other? i assume no-one's going to throw their macbook in the trashcan anytime soon, so i don't see the connection between the ability to repair the device and how bad that device is for the environment.

After Apple care expires, many repairs are so expensive that you have to consider the MB totalled, that means, you are throwing away a device that should be repairable. A keyboard exchange should cost between $100 and $200, not in excess of $600.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#316

Post by gregoriol »

simonh wrote: post #310
mscasts wrote: post #293

I love how Apple claim to care so much about the environment and then goes on to create basically the most unfixable pieces of hardware possible. Great job, really awesome for the environment Apple.

Only a tiny percentage of laptops are ever upgraded. If making the device upgradable and accessible adds the same percentage in materials then it's pretty much a wash. Also Apple devices on average have much longer service lives than devices from most other manufacturers. On average they stay usable longer, and even when they are replaced they're more likely to be handed on and keep in use even without upgradability.…

This is true, but increasing RAM or disk capacity over time could extend that even more. Maybe not so much visible right now with those machines that are sold today and look awesome, but I have a few examples of 2006/2009 MBPs that had hard drives being replaced with SSDs, and extended their lifetime many more years! In my today's 5-year-old MBP, I would enjoy doubling the RAM for example.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#317

Post by krzyk »

yulaow wrote: post #302
ucyo wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only the TXXXs models come with soldered memory. I can easily change memory, SSD, keyboard etc on my T470.

The t490 not s has soldered ram. I think even rhe 590 has soldered ram (at least one slot)

Yeah, non-s versions are better in that regard, because t490s has RAM soldered (and t480s had one chip soldered + one upgrade-able module), I have it and no way to upgrade that. I really hope EU will pass a law that will forbid soldering RAM and SSD to the mainboard, because it starts getting ridiculous and increases garbage.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#318

Post by _ph_ »

simonh wrote: post #310
mscasts wrote: post #293

I love how Apple claim to care so much about the environment and then goes on to create basically the most unfixable pieces of hardware possible. Great job, really awesome for the environment Apple.

Only a tiny percentage of laptops are ever upgraded. If making the device upgradable and accessible adds the same percentage in materials then it's pretty much a wash. Also Apple devices on average have much longer service lives than devices from most other manufacturers. On average they stay usable longer, and even when they are replaced they're more likely to be handed on and keep in use even without upgradability.…

Upgrading a laptop might increase its useful service life, but if bought well-specced, this isn't the biggest problem.

The elephant in the room are repairs. Due to the design, too many repairs are not economic, so machines get thrown away early. Repairs, which should cost way less with a design that at least allows repairability.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#319

Post by gregoriol »

EpicEng wrote: post #32
bpye wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it's riveted to the chassis - you cannot replace the keyboard still.

Apple will never give you a modular, easy to repair system. It just isn't going to happen, time to move on.

Now that Jony Ive is clearly gone, who knows ;-)

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#320

Post by _ph_ »

kmlx wrote: post #307
asaddhamani wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Forget about the RAM. The SSD is also soldered to the logic board. That's ridiculous.

isn't this for performance purposes?

There are perfectly fast m.2 modules, that would mean only minor differences in peformance, if any at all. My iMac actually runs perfectly fine on a SATA SSD, though this is definitely slower than the soldered-on SSD of my MB Pro.
Post reply on HN