| Cult of Mac

New teardown video zooms in 7,000x on iPhone 15 guts

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This borrowed microscope lets the video zoom in thousands of times on iPhone 15 components.
This borrowed microscope lets the video zoom in thousands of times on iPhone 15 components.
Photo: iFixit

iFixit brought in a new toy for its iPhone 15 teardown video Friday — an Olympus DSX1000 digital microscope. That enabled magnification of up to 7,000x on the tiny bits inside Apple’s newest base handset.

Watch the video below and see some shots from it above and below.

iFixit’s new USB-C charger looks cool while powering your devices

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iFixit’s new USB-C charger looks cool while powering your devices
You don’t have to do a teardown to see inside the new iFixit USB-C wall charger.
Photo: iFixit

While most people know iFixit for its brilliant teardown videos of Apple gear, its primary business is selling repair tools and other accessories. And that now includes a new 65W wall charger with a 6-foot cable.

As one might expect from a company known for looking inside devices, part of the housing for the new iFixit Fast Charger USB-C AC Adapter is transparent, showing off the internal components.

On the inside, Apple Studio Display looks more sophisticated than expected

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On the inside, Apple Studio Display looks more sophisticated than iMac
One of these is an iMac and the other is the Apple Studio Display. Which is which?
Photo: iFixit

iFixit showed people the interior of the new Apple Studio Display next to a partially disassembled iMac and asked them to pick which is which. You can play along at home by looking at the image above.

Most people got it wrong. Apple’s latest external monitor (on the left) is packed with features, and that’s reflected in its surprisingly complex internal design.

iFixit put the device through a full teardown and found that many of the most important components of the new external monitor showed up in previous Apple devices.

iFixit takes a peek at Mac Studio’s amazing insides

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Mac Studio teardown
Mac Studio's X-ray is oddly terrifying.
Photo: Creative Electron/iFixit

The gadget butchers at iFixit have finally gotten their hands on Mac Studio. After many hours on the operating table, Apple’s newest desktop has been pulled apart to give us a detailed look at its compact yet powerful insides.

You may be surprised to learn that many of Mac Studio’s components — including its SSDs and connectivity ports — are modular, which means they can be replaced if things go wrong. But user upgrades are out of the question.

This awesome X-ray wallpaper lets you see inside your Apple Watch

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Apple Watch X-ray wallpaper
One of the coolest ways to use the Photos face.
Photo: iFixit

Your Apple Watch is surprisingly pretty on the inside. Take a peek behind the screen with this awesome wallpaper from the fine folks over at iFixit.

The photo is a real X-ray image of Apple Watch Series 7. It clearly shows off a number of important components, including its Taptic Engine, intricate chipset, and the wireless charging coil. And it works great as a watch face.

Control freak Apple makes iPhone 13 the ‘strongest case yet for right to repair’

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iPhone 13 display repairs kill Face ID
Way to go, Apple.
Photo: iFixit

The teardown experts at iFixit have confirmed that unauthorized display replacements break Face ID on iPhone 13. They also warn that Apple’s rather unscrupulous move has “huge implications for the professional repair industry.”

The only way around the change is to employ incredibly complicated micro soldering practices to transfer the display chip from the original screen over to the new one. It is “the strongest case yet for right to repair laws,” iFixit says.

Apple makes 2021 MacBook Pro’s battery much easier to replace

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2021 MacBook Pro teardown battery
All six cells can be easily removed.
Photo: iFixit

When the time comes to replace the battery inside your 2021 MacBook Pro, you can avoid the pricey repair shops. Apple has made this particular process significantly easier than it was on earlier MacBook models.

All six battery cells inside the new machines are easily accessible — with no need to remove the logic board first — and much easier to remove. The changes make for a fairly simply at-home repair for those who are brave enough.

Apple Watch Series 7 teardown reveals bigger batteries, new display tech

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Apple Watch Series 7 teardown
Very familiar but with some big differences.
Photo: iFixit

Apple Watch Series 7 just got its customary teardown by iFixit, revealing some small but significant changes to its internals — including slightly larger batteries — and a somewhat surprising repairability score.

It looks like Apple’s newest wearable now uses more advanced display technology, which could explain why it faced such a lengthy delay.