Apple made 2018 MacBook Air battery replacements easier

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MacBook Air 2018
Battery replacements will be faster, more affordable, and environmentally-friendly.
Photo: Apple

Buyers of the new MacBook Air will be pleased to know that it’s much easier to perform a battery replacement.

Apple has glued its battery in place again, but according to a leaked internal document, it will provide authorized repairers with the tools required to remove it so that it can be easily swapped out when necessary.

Apple has been making its machines harder and harder to upgrade and repair in recent years. Some things are soldered in so that they are impossible to remove altogether, while others are glued into place, making things extremely difficult.

But with its newest machines, Apple seems to be taking a step back. It is again allowing users to upgrade their RAM in the new Mac mini, and it has made battery replacements significantly easier for the new MacBook Air.

MacBook Air battery replacements are much simpler

An Apple internal Service Readiness Guide for the new notebook, obtained by MacRumors, reveals that its Genius Bar and Authorized Service Providers will receive the tools needed to remove a MacBook Air’s battery.

In its latest MacBook and MacBook Pro machines, Apple has glued the batteries in place in such a way that replacing them means installing a brand new top case — along with a new keyboard and trackpad.

It has used glue again in the MacBook Air, but this time, the glue strips used are the same as those used in an iPhone, and they can be removed to allow the battery to be taken out by itself.

This should make MacBook Air battery replacements faster and a lot more affordable. It will also make them easier to recycle.

’A huge step forward’

“This is a huge step forward” for the MacBook Air, iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens told MacRumors.

“Apple’s glued-down battery design has been a challenge for consumers, recyclers, and for Apple’s own technicians. Preserving the removability of the MacBook Air’s battery is really important.”

The leaked guide also confirms the MacBook Air’s larger trackpad can be replaced by itself, while swapping the Touch ID sensor does not require a complete logic board replacement.

Here’s to hoping Apple carries these improvements forward for its next-generation 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro.

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