Sign up or login to join the discussions!

Samuel Axon - Jul 20, 2022 8:49 pm UTC

Like the 24-inch iMac before it, the MacBook Air is mostly full of... a lot of empty space. The battery dominates the device's interior, but beyond that, we're mostly just looking at mechanisms for the trackpad, keyboard, and a small logic board.

The teardown revealed thermal paste and graphite tape but no active cooling. iFixit notes that the machine will likely run hot, which we found in our throttling tests.

Otherwise, it's mostly business as usual for Apple laptops inside there. iFixit notes that it appears to have an Apple-made Thunderbolt 3 driver instead of an Intel-made one, though, which is interesting. Curiously, there is also an accelerometer, but it's not clear what that is used for in the laptop.

The M2 MacBook Air has a different speaker design than its predecessor, and iFixit got a peek at the new system. The new Air lacks the perforated speakers on either side of the keyboard that we've seen before and instead pumps sound out through little slits between the case and the display. iFixit also notes that the speakers look "small."

The main purpose of these teardown articles and videos is to judge repairability, and there are some good signs here: For example, you only need to work four screws to get into the device. But there's still a harrowing tugging process at the start, and you must handle it carefully.

For more photos and details, head over to iFixit's teardown.

You must login or create an account to comment.

Join the Ars Orbital Transmission mailing list to get weekly updates delivered to your inbox.

CNMN Collection WIRED Media Group © 2022 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/20) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 1/1/20) and Ars Technica Addendum (effective 8/21/2018). Ars may earn compensation on sales from links on this site. Read our affiliate link policy. Your California Privacy Rights | Do Not Sell My Personal Information The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad Choices