Gadgetory

the 2015 MacBook isn't just a thinner lighter version of the MacBook Air no Apple has completely redesigned this machine from the ground up and I'm going to show you how I'm Bill Detweiler and this is cracking open the 2015 12 inch MacBook comes in two main hardware configurations and three colors now our Gold test unit had a 1.1 gigahertz Intel Core M processor 8 gigs of ram 256 gigs of storage and Intel HD graphics 5000 chip and a Retina display now Apple went with a single USB C connector instead of separate power USB and display ports but there is still a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack the keyboard has been completely redesigned the mechanics under the keys the actual keys themselves and the lighting is all new the new MacBook also has apples force touch trackpad which the company also uses on the 2015 MacBook Pro now those are just the changes you can see on the outside there's lots more to see on the inside so let's get cracking as with the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Apple uses pentalobe screws to secure the new MacBooks lower case panel to the upper half of the case you'll need a special screwdriver to remove them now once the screws are removed you can lift up on the panel from the back unlike the air and pro however there are several cables that connect components attached to the bottom panel to the other bits of hardware that are attached to the upper case now to disconnect these cables you'll also need to lift up on the panel from the front avoiding tightening the cables too much we can disconnect the trackpad and keyboard cables at this point I would normally disconnect the battery here but Apple actually built the battery contacts into the main system board now I can try to isolate the battery by shimming a piece of plastic between the board and battery but this seems like a really odd way to disassemble the laptop so I went ahead and disconnected the ribbon cables for the USB C port retina display and the audio board with all the cables disconnected we can separate both halves of the case and really see just how different the new MacBooks internal design is from the MacBook Pro and the air for starters the battery main logic board and the speaker antenna assemblies are all attached to the cases removable bottom panel not the upper half which houses the keyboard trackpad and ports now speaking of the logic board the new one is significantly smaller than those on the pro or the air and thanks to the new Intel Core M processor gone other familiar fan and cooling assembly there's also no separate SSD now this machine storage chips are soldered directly to the board the force touch trackpad seems thinner than the one on the pro also the battery cells are contoured to fit snugly within the cases curved depressions and although we can't really see its inner workings as I mentioned earlier the keyboards all new to now that our tour of the internal hardware is done we can actually get down to removing a few of the components and after ensuring its attached cables are disconnected and screws removed I was able to lift out the logic board next to come out are the machines to speaker assemblies which also appear to function as antennas now as the battery is glued to the case I'm going to leave it alone rather than risk damaging it during removal i'm turning our attention to the upper half of the case we can remove the trackpad which is held in place with a few screws the new USB see connector and the audio board assembly lastly we can detach the Retina display from the case and our teardown is complete so what should we make of all the changes and new hardware Apple put into the 2015 MacBook well first and foremost I think it's a sign of where Apple is going to take its laptops eventually all Apple portables will have the new keyboard force touch trackpad and Retina display and as processors get more powerful and produce less heat internal fans will disappear as for their product lines Apple may keep the pro around for power users but the heirs days are pretty much numbered there's just no reason for to offer two distinct ultraportable lines lastly although the changes don't make repairs impossible they don't make them any easier either I hope is ample refines the MacBooks design they don't forget about all of us who still need to crack open their computers now for more information on the 2015 MacBook including real world tests and pricing check out dan Ackerman's full CNET review to see more teardown photos and read my full hardware houses go to TechRepublic calm board slash cracking open