Teardowns

MacBook Pro 13″ Unibody Teardown

We just completed our teardown of the MacBook Pro 13″ Unibody. We found that there’s very little difference between it and its predecessor, the MacBook Unibody. Here are some interesting tidbits about the MacBook Pro 13″:

  • The SD card slot is rather unimaginative, and half the card hangs outside the computer. Apparently, Apple couldn’t free up enough space for a slot that would make the card completely captive.
  • Fortunately, Apple did free up space to include a single FireWire 800 port.
  • The battery is easily user-upgradeable. All you need is a small Phillips screwdriver to open the case, and a tri-wing screwdriver to remove the battery.
  • The battery is definitely heavier (360 grams compared to 302 g for the old one). However, its capacity is 60 Watt-hours, compared to the lighter battery’s 45 W-h.
  • Apple’s claim for battery life in now 7 hours, compared to the MacBook’s 5 hours.
  • The new battery is not interchangeable at all with the older MacBook Unibody. The connectors, size, and shape are different, preventing easy DIY battery rigging.
  • The mid wall dividing the MacBook Pro is now attached to the top case. In the previous model, it was held in by four Phillips screws — just goes to show what Apple is trying to help out its DIY customers.
  • Aside from a couple of visual cues found outside, a casual user would not be able to discern if this was a MacBook Unibody or MacBook Pro.
  • Most screw layouts and brackets are identical to the old MacBook Unibody.
  • Despite now being a “Pro,” the machine makes do with only a single audio jack. The jack supports both analog and digital audio-out, as well as analog audio-in. If you need digital audio-in, this is not the machine for you.

MacBook Pro 13

We also just released a full set of MacBook Unibody repair guides. The design is similar enough that the guides can also be used to repair a MacBook Pro 13″ Unibody.

If there are any details you’d like us to investigate, leave a comment in the teardown or hit us up on twitter: @ifixit