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IFixit: Self Repair Program makes M1 MacBooks less repairable

9to5mac.com

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Re: IFixit: Self Repair Program makes M1 MacBooks less repairable

#11

Post by falcolas »

anonymouse008 wrote: post #7

The audacity is sky high. Just check the attention to detail and care put into these manuals. The gradient blue arrows are masked by glass and alter in arrow opacities to make abundantly clear how the device is supposed to react to the force applied. You all should have been there in the original iPhone days. I apologize to my early customers as to achieve anything close to a 'repair' meant losing a few back clips an…

Yes, providing well detailed manuals on how to work around Apple's hostility to repairing is a good thing. A $500 replacement part to replace a battery is not a good thing.

I'd also say that your average end user is probably still going to be breaking tabs. Applying proper force requires physical calibration; calibration takes practice.

Re: IFixit: Self Repair Program makes M1 MacBooks less repairable

#12

Post by tarentel »

falcolas wrote: post #9
tarentel wrote: post #4

No it doesn't. Ya, it's a 162 page manual and a huge pain and likely not worth it but the program doesn't make it less repairable. It was designed in such a way that makes repairing it a pain in the ass. Having the tooling and manual to do the repair doesn't make it less repairable. This headline makes no sense.

162 pages indicates that the item was not made to be repaired or replaced. 162 pages indicates that you're going to have to work around Apple's repair-hostile design to do a repair.

I definitely agree with you there. But the headline says it makes it "less repairable." If your car manufacturers changes all the bolts on your tires to use specialized tools and require you to read a book to understand it that makes your car less repairable. If they provide those tools and manual that doesn't make your car less repairable than it already was.

My point is the title of this makes no sense.

Re: IFixit: Self Repair Program makes M1 MacBooks less repairable

#13

Post by tempnow987 »

What a stupid take as is increasingly the case with ifixit.

How does adding manuals and parts make something LESS repairable? At worst you are no better off than you started.

And for all the crap apple gets for things like their batteries, I used to do fleet battery stuff on dell machines using a third party providers and the rate at which these machines BURNED through batteries was insane. THis was a while back, and not sure if it was the chargers, or how they were used (plugged in a lot of deep drained a lot), but for whatever reason apple's battery management tech really seems to get some life out of their batteries.

Also, once they started validating batteries so ifixit type places couldn't drop bad batteries into phones, a lot of the trouble there went away as well.

Anyways, a screen replacement under apple care is $29. I'll report back how "terrible" the process is (first time in years that I've broken my screen).

Re: IFixit: Self Repair Program makes M1 MacBooks less repairable

#15

Post by memco »

dillutedfixer wrote: post #6

I've had my 16" MBP since early April and I only have 30 cycles on the battery. At my usage rate, I charge this thing about once or twice a week on average. At this rate, the battery is going to last longer than any laptop battery I've ever owned. And then when it finally degrades to the point that I need to replace it, I would happily pay $199 to Apple for a new one rather than save a few dollars and do it myself. P…

I have a disassembled laptop in my garage after a failed attempt to replace the battery on my 8 year old MacBook. Apple no longer offers repairs nor is there anyone else in the area I could find to do it. I replaced my wife’s (10 year old) battery a few months prior to attempting mine: hers required a few screws and was done in about 5 minutes. Mine required disassembling the whole computer dissolving the adhesive on the old battery and replacing then reassembling. If you’re going to plan on having apple fix your battery do it 5 or 6 years from now regardless of the condition and then pray you have some repair option when Apple stops providing support.

Re: IFixit: Self Repair Program makes M1 MacBooks less repairable

#16

Post by MrFoof »

falcolas wrote: post #9
tarentel wrote: post #4

No it doesn't. Ya, it's a 162 page manual and a huge pain and likely not worth it but the program doesn't make it less repairable. It was designed in such a way that makes repairing it a pain in the ass. Having the tooling and manual to do the repair doesn't make it less repairable. This headline makes no sense.

162 pages indicates that the item was not made to be repaired or replaced. 162 pages indicates that you're going to have to work around Apple's repair-hostile design to do a repair.

The official workshop manual from the manufacturer for my car (which includes full engine assembly!) — the same one used by all of its dealer techs - is over 6400 pages. It is loaded with an absurd number of detailed diagrams, torque specifications, required tools, checklists, etc.

Does that make my car less repairable? Or does it provide all the information necessary for someone to correctly perform repair or maintenance, including all required pre- and post- processes related to the affected area?

Re: IFixit: Self Repair Program makes M1 MacBooks less repairable

#17

Post by ericmay »

tempnow987 wrote: post #13

What a stupid take as is increasingly the case with ifixit. How does adding manuals and parts make something LESS repairable? At worst you are no better off than you started. And for all the crap apple gets for things like their batteries, I used to do fleet battery stuff on dell machines using a third party providers and the rate at which these machines BURNED through batteries was insane. THis was a while back, and…

Pretty soon they'll be against right-to-repair legislation. Just watch.

Re: IFixit: Self Repair Program makes M1 MacBooks less repairable

#19

Post by rocket_surgeron »

>This time, along with the manuals, Apple is presenting DIY repairers with a excruciating gauntlet of hurdles: read 162 pages of documentation without getting intimidated

I read the PDF.

https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/2000/MA2083/en_US/mac...

It seems highly likely to me that anyone claiming this document is intimidating either has not read it or is lying for some reason.

In many respects, the Apple document is vastly superior to the iFixit guides.

An example of that is that the Apple guide has more descriptive language to ensure that the user feels the correct sensations when performing a step.

Here's the iFixit guide for replacing the antenna module: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+13-Inch+Late+2020+A...

iFixit: Pivot the spudger against the hinge to pry up the end of the antenna bar.

Apple: Gently slide the flat end of the black stick below one of the four screw holes (1) to loosen the antenna module from the tape on the top case. Then rotate the black stick until you feel a click (2).

Apple's instructions also include steps to perform if an action isn't "easy":

iFixit: The antenna bar is secured with some adhesive and may require some force to dislodge.

Apple: If the antenna module doesn’t release from the tape, slowly and gently slide the black stick under the module to loosen it.

Re: IFixit: Self Repair Program makes M1 MacBooks less repairable

#20

Post by TehCorwiz »

tempnow987 wrote: post #13

What a stupid take as is increasingly the case with ifixit. How does adding manuals and parts make something LESS repairable? At worst you are no better off than you started. And for all the crap apple gets for things like their batteries, I used to do fleet battery stuff on dell machines using a third party providers and the rate at which these machines BURNED through batteries was insane. THis was a while back, and…

If you read the article you'd see that Apple will not sell you a battery. They will ONLY sell you a "Top case with battery and keyboard" which requires removing every single part of the laptop in order to replace. This is more invasive, more expensive, and less approachable from a repair standpoint if you go with their process.
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