MacBook Air Models A1237 and A1304 Teardown

Teardown

Teardown

Teardowns provide a look inside a device and should not be used as disassembly instructions.

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We disassembled this laptop on February 1, 2008.

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Add Note Edit Step 1 — MacBook Air Models A1237 and A1304 Teardown  ¶ 

  • We were relieved to discover the MacBook Air ships in more than just a manila envelope.

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Add Note Edit Step 2  ¶ 

  • The MacBook Air adds yet another power adapter to Apple's impressively-varied lineup, and is the first Mactel to run on 45 watts.

  • A comparison, from top to bottom:

    • iPhone (5-watt)

    • iPod (8-watt)

    • MacBook Air (45-watt)

    • MacBook (60-watt)

    • MacBook Pro (85-watt)

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Add Note Edit Step 3  ¶ 

  • The new MagSafe power adapter has been rotated 90 degrees to handle the Air's extreme thinness.

  • The earlier MacBook power adapter works, but won't fit when the Air is placed on a flat surface.

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Add Note Edit Step 4  ¶ 

  • The more traditional ports are hidden in a bay that drops down to reveal:

    • One USB port.

    • One headphone jack.

    • And one micro-DVI port.

  • The placement of the ports means that the Air doesn't play nicely with bulky connectors. To get your Air to sit flat on the desktop, you'll need either a dongle or slim connectors.

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Add Note Edit Step 5  ¶ 

  • Laptop on laptop action.

  • The Air makes the MacBook look like the new iBook.

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Add Note Edit Step 6  ¶ 

  • As you'd expect with a computer so devoted to aesthetics, getting to the "user-installable" parts is going to be a bit more challenging than usual.

  • The bottom case is held down by 10 screws:

    • Six 3mm #00 Phillips.

    • Two 5.4mm #00 Phillips.

    • Two 7.9mm #00 Phillips.

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Add Note Edit Step 7  ¶ 

  • Removing the lower case proved a surprisingly pleasant task. Thanks Apple.

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Add Note Edit Step 8  ¶ 

  • Look! We found the battery.

  • Unfortunately, it's no longer considered a user-installable part by Apple and is attached to the case by 9 screws:

    • Four 3mm #00 Phillips.

    • Four 3.8mm #00 Phillips.

    • One 7.3mm #00 Phillips.

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