M3 MacBook Air basically identical to M2 model in teardown

A teardown of the M3 MacBook Air may as well be a teardown of the M2 model with some labels swapped.

Apple's M3 MacBook Air is the second generation with the new case design. The 13-inch and 15-inch models are nearly identical in construction minus differences in speakers and other minor components.

A teardown video from iFixit shows the M3 MacBook Air, in either size, is simple enough to take apart with the right screwdriver. The lack of a lot of glue and tape is a nice change from Apple's Intel era, and modular components show that times are changing.

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If you watched the teardown video for the M2 MacBook Air, there won't be much new to see here. Apple's incredible attention to detail and numerous screws are still present.

The battery compartment is held in place by four stretch-release adhesive tabs. These are placed in a u-shaped formation to allow the repair person a chance to pull the tab twice if one side snaps.

The 13-inch MacBook Air is sporting a 52.6 Wh battery while the 15-inch MacBook Air has a 66.5 Wh battery. Both have the simple removal system with stretch-release tabs.

Users may be able to disassemble the M3 MacBook Air without much issue, but repairability is still a problem. Most of what a user would want to address, like RAM or storage, are not replaceable.

Parts pairing is also an issue. While Right to Repair bills have pushed Apple to supply manuals and select parts, other procedures like parts pairing are still illegal — unless a bill in Oregon passes.

The M3 MacBook Air is available to purchase starting at $1,099 MSRP (every model is discounted in our Price Guide). It can be configured in a 13-inch or 15-inch size with up to 24GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.

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13 Comments

StrangeDays 12959 comments · 8 Years

About 8 months ago

Good thing I don’t know anybody who gives a shirt about that, let alone any normals.

Xed 2871 comments · 4 Years

StrangeDays said:

Good thing I don’t know anybody who gives a shirt about that, let alone any normals.

You know you can like Apple products -and- want them to be easier for DIYers to repair and upgrade.

I found the video interesting and I'm glad that these are easier to repair.

macxpress 5910 comments · 16 Years

Xed said:

StrangeDays said:

Good thing I don’t know anybody who gives a shirt about that, let alone any normals.

You know you can like Apple products -and- want them to be easier for DIYers to repair and upgrade.

I found the video interesting and I'm glad that these are easier to repair.

While I agree the video is interesting, 99.999999% of Apple customers really don't give a shit one way or another if they can repair it. The vast majority will just take it somewhere to get fixed should something go wrong. It's really only some on these Mac forums that make a big stink about repairability because they think Apple should make a computer like they did back in the 90's where everything is removable. .

macxpress said:

Xed said:

StrangeDays said:

Good thing I don’t know anybody who gives a shirt about that, let alone any normals.

You know you can like Apple products -and- want them to be easier for DIYers to repair and upgrade.

I found the video interesting and I'm glad that these are easier to repair.

While I agree the video is interesting, 99.999999% of Apple customers really don't give a shit one way or another if they can repair it. The vast majority will just take it somewhere to get fixed should something go wrong. It's really only some on these Mac forums that make a big stink about repairability because they think Apple should make a computer like they did back in the 90's where everything is removable. .

Even if it only 1 in 10 million — as you state — that is apparently enough to keep iFixit and many other self-repair websites with plenty of business. However, your statement is clearly hyperbole even if we use the world's population of 8.1 billion.

I happen to be a very long time customer of iFixit. I've seen them go through many, many changes. They offer their guides free of charge but then offer tools that you can buy through them or elsewhere to repair and upgrade your own equipment. This isn't just invaluable to people like me that wanted to make changes to their own equipment without going in blind in terms of tools and what to expect once inside, but ratings so I can gauge how difficult it would be do complete the desired task. The last one I did was a RAM upgrade in a Mac mini, but unfortunately I think that's the last that my aging eyes will allow me.

There are many countries and people who simply don't have the luxury of getting new tech when their old one breaks. Having how-to guides can be indispensable tools for the DIYers.

https://slate.com/technology/2014/04/agbogbloshie-jua-kali-how-entrepreneurs-turn-e-waste-into-usable-products.html

Reducing eWaste, saving money, or just having fun tinkering with used hardware should not be a threat to anyone who wants the latest iPhone so I'm always surprised by how much pushback iFixit gets on this website.

VictorMortimer 239 comments · New User

Oregon has now passed a right to repair law that bans parts pairing.

Apple's days of keeping us from being able to repair our own computers are coming to an end. It only takes one state to make Apple's consumer hostility end in the US.