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Don't wonder, see for yourself: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Retina+Display+Late+2013+Teardown/18695 https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Mac

Don't wonder, see for yourself: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Retina+Display+Late+2013+Teardown/18695 https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Retina+D... https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Touch+Bar+2017+Teardown/92171 https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Touch+Ba... Not a lot has changed in the past few years. Macbook Pros are NOT easy to mod/change or swap parts. This is very clearly the intention of Apple.

userbinator 9y ago
Macbook Pros are NOT easy to mod/change or swap parts. This is very clearly the intention of Apple. Of course, but that hasn't completely stopped determined people from trying (and succeeding) --- look at the link I posted to where someone added a headphone jack back to an iPhone. As long as the dimensions are vaguely compatible, the guts of the touchbar model might fit into the non-touchbar case. Some machining and creativity required. The only downside is the cost (unless you somehow find salvage parts), but someone who really wanted to could do it.
- TeMPOraL 9y ago
  > Some machining and creativity required. And high stress tolerance. I mean, if - per recent HN thread - people obsess over putting a CPU into their PC because it feels like breaking a piece of expensive electronics, I can only imagine what a Macbook owner feels when applying a lathe to their prized possession...
  - voxadam 9y ago
    I have to agree on one point here. Even though I'm quite comfortable with machine tools, both manual and CNC, I'd be terrified to chuck up a laptop in a lathe.
rkangel 9y ago
> Not a lot has changed in the past few years. Macbook Pros are NOT easy to mod/change or swap parts. This is very clearly the intention of Apple. I don't think they've done it on purpose, this is just how it has ended up because of other priorities. I think their priority is tight packaging - across every hardware line they have, doing that well has allowed them to ship more hardware features (and/or more battery life) in a smaller package that anyone else. Designing in user servicability would get in the way of this. They may be happy that not being able to swap parts is a side effect of this, but it'snot the priority.
- dahauns 9y ago
  Yeah, and then there's the Fujitsu Lifebook U93x. As thin and light (920g) as the MacBook (non-Pro), with comparable battery life. But: 15W TDP CPU; RAM&SSD not soldered; USBA, USBC, HDMI, SD, SmartCard and even Ethernet(!). Or the HP Elite X2 1012. Surface-class tablet/convertible with similar specs, but...well, 10/10 on iFixit. Sure, those devices may have other issues (that trackpad on the Lifebook...), but tight packaging is not an excuse for unmoddability.
gargravarr 9y ago
The worst part is that their SSDs use proprietary interfaces, and the TB ones even drop that and have the chips soldered to the logic board. That's just spiteful. Just you wait for the class-action lawsuit when people's logic boards start failing and there is zero hope of pulling any data off the dead drive.

userbinator 9y ago

Macbook Pros are NOT easy to mod/change or swap parts. This is very clearly the intention of Apple. Of course, but that hasn't completely stopped determined people from trying (and succeeding) --- look at the link I posted to where someone added a headphone jack back to an iPhone. As long as the dimensions are vaguely compatible, the guts of the touchbar model might fit into the non-touchbar case. Some machining and creativity required. The only downside is the cost (unless you somehow find salvage parts), but someone who really wanted to could do it.

TeMPOraL 9y ago
> Some machining and creativity required. And high stress tolerance. I mean, if - per recent HN thread - people obsess over putting a CPU into their PC because it feels like breaking a piece of expensive electronics, I can only imagine what a Macbook owner feels when applying a lathe to their prized possession...
- voxadam 9y ago
  I have to agree on one point here. Even though I'm quite comfortable with machine tools, both manual and CNC, I'd be terrified to chuck up a laptop in a lathe.

rkangel 9y ago

> Not a lot has changed in the past few years. Macbook Pros are NOT easy to mod/change or swap parts. This is very clearly the intention of Apple. I don't think they've done it on purpose, this is just how it has ended up because of other priorities. I think their priority is tight packaging - across every hardware line they have, doing that well has allowed them to ship more hardware features (and/or more battery life) in a smaller package that anyone else. Designing in user servicability would get in the way of this. They may be happy that not being able to swap parts is a side effect of this, but it'snot the priority.

dahauns 9y ago
Yeah, and then there's the Fujitsu Lifebook U93x. As thin and light (920g) as the MacBook (non-Pro), with comparable battery life. But: 15W TDP CPU; RAM&SSD not soldered; USBA, USBC, HDMI, SD, SmartCard and even Ethernet(!). Or the HP Elite X2 1012. Surface-class tablet/convertible with similar specs, but...well, 10/10 on iFixit. Sure, those devices may have other issues (that trackpad on the Lifebook...), but tight packaging is not an excuse for unmoddability.

gargravarr 9y ago

The worst part is that their SSDs use proprietary interfaces, and the TB ones even drop that and have the chips soldered to the logic board. That's just spiteful. Just you wait for the class-action lawsuit when people's logic boards start failing and there is zero hope of pulling any data off the dead drive.