HOW IT’S DONE
12-inch Apple MacBook (2016)
MAJOR TECH SPECS
12-inch, 2,304 x 1,440-pixel (226ppi) IPS Retina Display 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 processor (configurable up ≠ to 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core m7) 8GB of 1,866MHz LPDDR3 RAM 256GB or 512GB PCIe-based flash storage Intel HD Graphics 515 802.11a/ b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi wireless networking and Bluetooth 4.0 Single USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack
KEY FINDINGS
If it weren’t for the rose gold finish, we’d be hard-pressed to distinguish this year’s Retina MacBook from yesteryear’s. The exteriors look identical. The pesky tri-wing screw we saw last year grew another wing — now it’s a repair-friendly Phillips. Thankfully, all the other internal screws are still Phillips and Torx screws. At the other end of the MacBook, the USB-C hardware has also changed. The cable is now perma-fixed to the USB board, condensing the two components into a single unit. Also, the silicon is new and has moved from the cable itself to the USB board. This new USB and cable arrangement is one thing that’s not compatible with previous Retina MacBooks. The battery’s form factor seems identical to the multi-lobed cell in the 2015 MacBook, yet somehow Apple has managed to squeeze in a 4% capacity increase from last year’s model. Apple claims the new 7.56V, 41.41Wh Lithium-ion power source should provide 11 hours of iTunes movie playback. We’re guessing this capacity increase is due to improved battery chemistry (though it’s also possible that Apple’s engineers have shaved away just enough material from the lower case to allow for a thicker battery). Unfortunately, they did not squeeze in any of those nifty adhesive pull tabs we’ve seen in Apple’s iDevices. Regardless, our tests indicate this beefier battery is compatible with last year’s MacBook. Which is nice! Repairability Score: 1 out of 10 (10 is ≠ the easiest to repair). Those pesky tri-wing screws are gone, replaced ≠ by lovely standard Phillips screws — but tamper-evident hinge screws make you feel like a hoodlum for repairing your own machine. The processor, RAM, and flash memory ≠ are still soldered to the logic board. The battery assembly remains entirely and very solidly glued to the lower case. The Retina display is still a fused unit with no separate, protective glass. If the display needs replacing, it’ll cost a pretty penny.