Apple has refreshed its entry-level MacBook Pro earlier this week. The folks as iFixit tore down the 13-inch model to see what’s what. The process revealed an improvement as well as an unexpected drawback compared to the predecessor.
Let’s start with the good stuff. The folks at iFixit describes the refreshed MacBook pro as familiar, but it does come with a larger battery, rated at 58.2Wh than the 54.5Wh battery from before. It also very narrowly beats the battery of the more powerful model of the same size.
But on the flip side, the MacBook Pro’s SSD is no longer swappable. It was one of the last upgradeable components of the MacBook Pro, but now it joins the RAM in the soldered down components group. The speaker and heat sink have also been given a downsize, the latter being especially questionable.
iFixit ultimately gave the MacBook Pro a score of 2 for repairability. That said, for the average user, it would’ve made no real difference, as Apple uses pentalobe screws for the MacBook Pro, and the previously replaceable SSD was a proprietary drive.
(Source: iFixit)
