teardown

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on teardown:

iFixit tears open new M1 iMac to find … very little

By

M1 iMac teardown
There's a surprising amount of space in the new iMac.
Photo: iFixit

Apple’s awesome new M1 iMac finally received its obligatory teardown by the fine folks over at iFixit. You may not be surprised to learn there’s very little packed into the computer’s slender aluminum shell.

That doesn’t mean it’s not exciting. The M1 iMac is, as we’ve come to expect from Apple, an engineering marvel. It’s rather astonishing that the brilliant minds in Cupertino can squeeze so much power out of so little.

2020 MacBook Air teardown reveals new keyboard and better repairability

By

2020 macbook air
The guts of the 2020 MacBook Air on full display.
Photo: iFixit

The 2020 MacBook Air has been put under the knife by the folks at iFixit, revealing some subtle and important changes that make Apple’s thinnest laptop more repairable.

Headlining the list of changes is the new Magic Keyboard with scissor-switch keys. iFixit found that the new keys don’t need a silicone barrier to keep dust out like the previous generation. The butterfly keyboards were supposed to enable MacBooks to be thinner, however, iFixit says going back to old scissor switches only adds .5mm to the device’s thickness.

AirPods Pro teardown reveals a ton of tiny tech

By

AirPods-Pro-teardown-1
Yes, that's a button cell battery!
Photo: iFixit

Most of us lovingly look after our newest Apple devices to ensure they last as long as possible. iFixit pulls them apart in the name of science. Its latest teardown victim? AirPods Pro.

You won’t be shocked to find that there’s loads of tiny tech inside Apple’s newest earbuds. But you might be surprised to see how different they are to regular AirPods on the inside.

New MacBook Pro teardown reveals surprising internal tweaks

By

2019-MacBook-Pro-13-teardown
Here’s what’s inside the new 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Photo: iFixit

iFixit just got its hands on Apple’s newest 13-inch MacBook Pro, which can only mean one thing: It’s time to take a look at what’s inside its svelte aluminum shell.

The new model ships with a Touch Bar, Touch ID, and the Apple T2 Security Chip as standard. It also boasts newer Intel chips that promise up to 83% faster multi-core performance.

But that’s not all you get for your money. There’s a bigger battery inside it, too — plus some other surprising tweaks. And not every change is a good one.

2019 MacBook Pro teardown reveals minimal keyboard changes

By

2019 MacBook Pro keys
What’s inside a 2019 MacBook Pro key.
Photo: iFixit

Apple just dropped a new MacBook Pro with faster Intel processors that deliver even greater performance. But more importantly, it features “new material” that Apple hopes will fix its keyboard woes.

The machine now been pulled apart by iFixit so that we can see exactly what’s changed under the hood. Don’t expect anything too dramatic or you’ll be sorely disappointed.

Here’s what you’ll find inside the new iPad Air

By

iPad Air 3 teardown
The new iPad Air, torn apart.
Photo: iFixit

The new iPad Air has suffered a customary teardown after finding its way into the hands of iFixit.

As expected the device shares a lot in common with the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. But if you look closely, you’ll find Apple has made a whole bunch of big changes that make this more of a mid-range iPad than a smaller flagship.

Here’s what was found under its hood.

iPad mini 5 teardown uncovers big improvements on the inside

By

iPad mini 5 teardown
This is what's inside the new iPad mini.
Photo: iFixit

The fifth-generation iPad mini has started making its way into the hands of early adopters. One unlucky unit ended up with iFixit, which has already torn it apart to show us what’s inside.

Unsurprisingly, it’s not a whole lot different to its predecessor. But there are plenty of new chips and components under the hood.

Don’t even think about repairing the AirPods 2

By

AirPods 2
If your AirPods look like this, your music-listening days are over.
Photo: iFixit

Apple’s second-generation AirPods may be better than ever, but they’re certainly not any more repairable. A new teardown reveals that the next-gen wireless earphones aren’t “designed to be serviced” in any meaningful capacity.

The challenge of repairing them doesn’t necessarily guarantee a short lifespan. However, it does suggest that these probably won’t be hanging around long-term.

2018 MacBook Air teardown confirms repairs aren’t so painful

By

2018 MacBook Air teardown
See what's inside the new MacBook Air.
Photo: iFixit

Even if you take good care of your new MacBook Air, there’s always a small chance something could go wrong. But it is a lot easier for Apple and its Authorized Service Providers to fix the new ultraportable than other Apple notebooks.

A new teardown reveals all the changes Apple has made to make swapping components simpler.

Teardown reveals beautiful guts inside Apple Watch Series 4

By

iFixit Apple Watch 4
As beautiful inside as out.
Photo: iFixit

Steve Jobs famously adopted a “paint the back of the fence” approach when it came to design, making sure that the parts of his computers people didn’t see were every bit as attractive as those they did.

While it might strike some as obsessive levels of perfectionism, it also showcases the fact that Apple really does sweat the little details when it comes to its products. Well, it took a few years, but that same mentality has finally arrived on the Apple Watch — as a new teardown reveals.

Apple Watch 3 teardown uncovers bigger battery, small changes

By

Apple Watch 3 teardown
Everything that goes into an Apple Watch Series 3.
Photo: iFixit

Apple Watch Series 3 may look identical to its predecessors on the outside, but it’s a different beast under the hood, with powerful new hardware, new chips, and LTE connectivity.

A customary teardown by iFixit has also revealed a bigger battery, and one very minor design alteration to make room for new components.

AirPods teardown hints at reason for delay

By

AirPods-teardown
AirPods get pulled apart!
Photo: iFixit

Apple’s swanky new AirPods are finally shipping, which means the teardown experts at iFixit have pulled them apart to give us a glimpse at their internals.

The AirPods themselves are filled with tiny components and copious amounts of glue, while an X-ray scan of their charging case could reveal the reason behind the lengthy shipping delay.

MacBook Pro teardown reveals why you can forget about upgrading

By

macbook
We wouldn't mind a piece of the new MacBook Pro. Or even a whole laptop if possible.
Photo: iFixit

A teardown of the new entry-level MacBook Pro reveals it to be one of Apple’s least upgradeable laptops.

The good news? Even the Touch Bar-free model includes some nifty upgrades. The bad? From proprietary pentalobe screws that make opening the case unnecessarily difficult to the RAM soldered to the logic board, this isn’t a laptop you’ll be able to upgrade easily.

iPhone 7 headphone dongle boasts amazing insides

By

3.5mm-to-Lightning headphone adapter DAC
The 3.5mm-to-Lightning headphone adapter includes the cutest little digital-to-analog converter we've ever seen.
Photo: Tinhte

Anyone who thinks Apple is no longer innovating should check out a new video revealing the amazing amount of technology — including a tiny digital-to-analog converter, or DAC — that the company managed to squeeze into its deceptively simple 3.5mm-to-Lightning headphone adapter.

Produced by Vietnamese website Tinhte, the video may not exhibit the finesse of an iFixit teardown, but it’s certainly an impressive demo of how much Apple is able to do with even the most basic-looking of dongles.

Apple Watch Series 2 looks surprisingly repairable

By

apple watch 2
Same on the outside. Different inside.
Photo: iFixit

The new Apple Watch Series 2 is more repairable than Apple’s original wearable, according to the first teardown to pry open the new device.

Apple Watch Series 2 looks exactly the same as its predecessor on the outside. On the inside it’s an entirely different story, as Apple’s engineers have refined the internals and made it a bit easier to work with.

iPhone 7 Plus teardown confirms bigger 2,900 mAh battery

By

5ymx4dfbrmxt6bv1-huge
Oh, iPhone 7 Plus -- you weren't long for this world.
Photo: iFixit

While most Apple fans around the world are just hoping to get their hands on a new iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, our friends over at iFixit have already taken one apart.

In their teardown of the iPhone 7 Plus, the repair experts confirm some important details about Apple’s plus-sized next-gen handset — such as its 2,900 mAh battery, which is slightly more than 5 percent larger than the 2,750 mAh battery used in last year’s iPhone 6s Plus.

The new Retina MacBook could be Apple’s least-repairable notebook yet

By

The new MacBook in pieces. Photo: iFixit
The new MacBook in pieces. Photo: iFixit

Apple’s new MacBook may be one “for the future” but it’s already had a teardown from our friends over at iFixit, filling you in on all the ways the next-gen notebook differs from its predecessor.

That includes Apple’s butterfly mechanism keys, its Force Touch trackpad, form-fitting layered battery, and, of course, the thinnest, most energy-efficient Retina display ever seen on a Mac.

It’s not just ports the new notebook is missing, however. It’s also one of Apple’s least-repairable notebooks to date!

Retina iMac RAM is user upgradable, reveals iFixit

By

Photo: iFixit
Photo: iFixit

The folks at iFixit have already gotten their hands on a new 27-inch Retina iMac, and their teardown reveals everything you need to know about the machine’s innards.

Thanks to a rear access door, the RAM in the new iMac remains user upgradable without needing to open the case. Most of the iMac’s internal design has stayed the same from last year’s model.