The design of the MacBook Neo chip makes it fast... but also makes upgrades impossible. Image: Apple/iFixit
The $599 MacBook Neo arrived with a hard limit: 8GB of RAM. Some of you probably don’t understand the hoopla… more RAM can simply be added, right? Nope. The design of Apple’s processor makes it fast and efficient, at the cost of RAM upgrades.
The MacBook Neo's SSD is a NAND chip soldered to the motherboard. Screenshot: DirectorFeng
A MacBook Neo can be upgraded to 1TB of storage, but the DIY project isn’t for amateurs. A video demonstrating the process shows that it takes skills, experience and the right equipment.
Still, it’s interesting to watch. Especially as it also shows how easy it is to disassemble the MacBook Neo.
iPad repair is doable, but it’s far, far from easy. Image: Gemini/Cult of Mac
Apple now offers tools and parts to repair your own iPad, but the instructions provided by Apple show that working on one of its tablets is not for the faint of heart.
Just removing the screen from an iPad Pro is a 32-step process that requires special tools to detach the glue, tape and screws holding everything together.
Fixing your MacBook is easier if you know what's broken. Photo: Apple
The Apple Diagnostics for Self Service Repair software tool launched on Europe on Wednesday. It lets those who want to fix their own iPhone or Mac identify which parts may need repair.
In addition, Apple announced that MacBook Air models with the M3 processor that launched in March 2024 are now part of the Self Service Repair program.
If you want to tear into your 2020 iMac, Apple will show you how. Photo: iFixit
Apple’s Self Service Repair program now includes Mac desktops. That means those who want to fix their recent iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, etc. have access to repair manuals and genuine Apple parts and tools. Plus, info and tools for the most-recent Apple monitor are also available.
Apple designed the iPhone 14 to make it easier to repair. Photo: iFixit
Turns out the iPhone 14 isn’t a cookie-cutter copy of its predecessor like everyone thought, but the big changes are all on the inside. A teardown of Apple’s new “basic” handset finds that it’s easier to repair than earlier versions.
iFixit, which did the teardown, calls it “the most significant design change to the iPhone in a long time.”
Those who want to repair their own MacBook can get the parts and tools through Apple's Self Service Repair program. Photo: Apple
Apple’s Self Service Repair program is about to expand to recent MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models. This will give those who want to fix their macOS notebook access to repair manuals and genuine Apple parts and tools.
Here's a 2014 iMac made into an external display almost a beautiful as a Studio Display. Photo: Luke Miani
An intrepid Apple expert set out to convert an iMac on its last legs into a useful external monitor with the same general design and functionality as a new Studio Display. The inspiration comes from Apple’s recently released monitor using a 27-inch 5K LCD, as do all the iMacs made for many years.
Watch a video of this DYI project to see if this is something you’d like to do with that old iMac you have gathering dust.
Apple's Self Service Program is a major change to the company's repair policy. Photo: Apple
The iPhone Self Service Program that Apple announced last fall launched Wednesday. It provides customers with the parts and tools they need to repair their own handsets. And it marks a major shift in the company’s approach to hardware fixes.
The program is for individuals, not small businesses.
This is not what you think it is. At all. Photo: by Pablo Rochat
A clever DIY project found a brilliant way to reuse on old MacBook. At first glance, it just seems like an Apple notebook sitting on a desk. Open it up and…
We’re not going to ruin it for you. Just watch the video on Twitter.
Don’t buy when you can 3D print an AirTag holder. Like this bike mount. Photo: Marshall Farthing
It’s not necessary to buy an accessory to attach an Apple AirTag to your keys, bike or dog’s collar if you own a 3D printer. There are tons of CAD files with options to connect the recently released item tracker to various objects. And all of them are free to use.
If you’re willing to risk ruining an AirTag, you can drill a hole in it. Photo: iFixit
There’s no direct way to attach Apple’s just-released AirTag to a set of keys because the item tracker doesn’t include a hole. But iFixit x-rayed the device and found three places a brave user could drill a hole.
A screen doesn't have to separate you from your Photoshop toolbar. Photo: 3dDecors
Once you learn the task behind each symbol, the toolbar in Adobe Photoshop becomes a natural extension of a photographer’s creativity. Stylistic flourishes are just clicks away.
Now, the toolbar can be physically at your fingertips.
A designer from Ukraine has transformed the iconic on-screen toolbar into an actual keypad he sells on Etsy.
You can make your own LED face mask if you don't want to buy it. Photo: Lumen Coutre
Face masks are the hottest trend of 2020 whether we like it or not. If you’re looking to level up your mask game while also supporting a good cause, Lumen Couture’s new LED Matrix Face Mask is exactly what you need.
Lumen Couture founder Chelsea Klukas — who is also a product design manager at Oculus — revealed her iPhone-controlled LED mask this week. The device lets wearers draw their own designs and text that are displayed on the front of the mask using a flexible LED panel to unlock endless possibilities.
Stop putting off ideas and start that weekend project. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Walt Disney said it best: “The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing.” If you’ve ever thought, “I wish I knew how to do that,” then this is your wakeup call.
Whether you want to build your own app or a microcomputer, a website or an e-commerce hub, these four deeply discounted educational offerings will inspire you to stop thinking about building something great, and just jump in and get it done. Expand your horizons today! (These courses are all over 93% off right now.)
We’ve never seen AirPods like these. Photo: Sam Cashbook
Forking over $200 for new AirPods that you’re probably just going to lose anyway seems like a bad investment. A 15-year old boy found a brilliant and cheap work around though that turns Apple’s wired EarPods into AirPods for just $4.
After seeing one of his friends get gifted a set of AirPods, Sam Cashbook decided to make his own. Using a cheap bone conduction headset he found on eBay, Cashbook managed to hot glue together his DIY AirPods.
WTF is going on here? Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
I love my AirPods, but I hate that they don’t fit right in my ears. They’re not designed to seal the ear canal, and therefore block external noise, but they often sit so loose in my ears that a) I can’t hear them without setting the volume way too high, and b) they feel like they’re about to fall out.
Today we’ll see how to add grippy dots to your AirPods. These dots will make the AirPods fit snugly in your ears, but — crucially — they will still fit in their charging case.
Ever the enthusiastic DIYer, Scotty Allen replaces his iPhone 7 battery. Screenshot: Strange Parts/YouTube
Scotty Allen’s iPhone 7 battery was dying and, as you’d expect, Allen didn’t do the easy thing.
Rather than pay Apple to replace the battery or just get a new iPhone, the host of the YouTube show Strange Parts went on a vendor-to-vendor hunt in the electronics district in Shenzhen, China in search of a replacement battery.