‘Battery and trackpad MacBook Air are easier to replace than with predecessor’

The battery and trackpad of Apple’s new MacBook Air are easier to replace than in its predecessor from 2018. That reports iFixit based on its own teardown. The cables that connect the battery and the trackpad are no longer under the PCB, but on top of it.

This makes it possible to replace the battery and trackpad immediately when the back of the MacBook Air is removed, reports iFixit. In the previous version, users or repairers had to disconnect the entire PCB to access those cables, but that is no longer necessary. Also good for repairability is that the speakers are now screwed in, in addition to a little glue underneath. The glue is easily removable.

However, iFixit notes that the keyboard is still not easily replaceable, despite it being a traditional scissor keyboard instead of the Butterfly keyboard of the previous version. That keyboard caused many problems for users, something for which Apple apologized. Memory and storage are also soldered to the pcb and are therefore not easy to replace or upgrade.

Apple announced the new MacBook Air last week. New include 10th-generation Intel Core processors, an SSD with twice the storage of the previous version, and the incorporation of a three-microphone system for better audio recording.

MacBook Air 2020 teardown. Source: iFixit