O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: modular

  • M4 MacBook Pro speakers can now be replaced individually

    M4 MacBook Pro speakers can now be replaced individually

    For the first time in almost a decade, you, a tech service provider, or Apple can now repair an individual speaker on the current MacBook Pro without having to replace other components as well.

    In a memo shared with Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers this week, Apple said it is offering speakers as standalone repair parts for the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips. This is the first time Apple has made individual MacBook Pro speaker parts available since 2015.

    In the case of all MacBook Pro models released between 2016, Apple had to replace the entire “top case” with the battery and other components for speaker repairs. This would results in speaker repairs costing hundreds of dollars more than they might if the speakers were a more modular part.

    Apple has already shared speaker repair manuals for the current-gen MacBook Pro notebooks on its website, so the repair is available to users as opposed to simply Genius Bar employees or Apple Authorized Service Providers.

    The repair procedure is fairly complex, involving the use of Kevlar thread, speaker installation caps, and a single-use battery cover, so the average customer will likely want to rely on an experienced technician to ensure it is done correctly. Finally, Apple is rumored to be giving technicians access to individual speaker parts for ALL 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon, going back to models with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. It remains to be seen if those parts for older models will be added to the self-service repair store too.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors, support.apple.com, and Apple Self Service Repair Store

  • iFixit publishes 2019 Mac Pro teardown, cites modular, easily repaired/upgraded design

    The cool cats of iFixit have completed a full teardown of the new 2019 Mac Pro desktop, the teardown highlighting its ease of access to various components as needed.

    The case quickly lifts off with no proprietary screws or adhesive. Upon removal, power to the machine is cut off for safety. 

    iFixit also noted that the RAM can be easily replaced via a process that requires no tools. Additionally, the repair firm praises the handy diagram that showcases which DIMM slots can be populated with different amounts of memory. 

    Inside the machine, it turns out many of the parts are labeled with numbers, indicating in what order they should be repaired.

    iFixit awarded the 2019 Mac Pro a 9 out of 10 for a repairability score. A number of repairs and upgrades don’t require any tools, while other repairs can be effected with only a basic repair kit at hand.

    The only major deduction to the repair score came with the solid-state drives. The SSD are slotted and modular, but they’re also linked to the T2 security chip. In the event an Apple-provided SSD needs to be removed and replaced, users need to get it done at an Apple Authorized Service Provider. 

    The 2019 Mac Pro start at $5,999 and can climb up to $53,000 in terms of which options and upgrades are chosen.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and iFixit

  • Apple confirms 2019 launch for next-gen Mac Pro, highlights modular/professional-focused nature of product

    Per an interview with TechCrunch’s Editor-in-Chief Matthew Panzarino, Apple confirmed that the new Mac Pro will be a 2019 product.

    The company seemed eager to clarify the date in that it doesn’t want customers who are currently considering the iMac Pro to hold off, anticipating a Mac Pro launch later in the year.

    Apple’s current focus with the new machine is on visual effects, video editing, 3D animation, and music production. As such, the Pro Workflow Team, consulted with Apple as to bottlenecks, pain points, inefficiencies, potential hardware performance limitations and bug reports, then blended this information with Apple’s Pro products design team.

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  • Apple’s Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi hint at redesigned Mac Pro, pro-level display in 2018

    Following a late 2017 interview with BuzzFeed, Apple’s Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi stated that a new Mac Pro is en route, but that it wouldn’t be released until 2018. The duo also stated that a new display is coming, with teams working hard on a new kind of modular Mac Pro.

    Per Phil Schiller:

    “We are completely rethinking the Mac Pro. Since the Mac Pro is a modular system, we are also doing a pro display. There’s a team working hard on it right now…[but] you won’t see any of these products this year.”

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  • Rumor: Next-gen, modular Mac Pro may not be available until early 2019

    As dead sexy as the idea of a revamped Mac Pro might be, it might not see the shelves until 2019.

    Current rumors have Apple designing a modular Mac Pro, albeit Apple has stated that it won’t be available in 2017. The rumors point towards a design that might not be available until 2019.

    Citing anonymous “people and sources who know their stuff”, OSNews’ Thom Holwerda writes that Apple’s decision “seems to have been made only in recent months” following professional user response to the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and the lack of Mac Pro updates.

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