MacBook Unibody Teardown

Add Note Introduction

We disassembled this computer on October 15, 2008.

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Teardown Warning

Teardown

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

Paginated Single Page Steps

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Add Note Step 1 — Teardown

  • Apple boasts that, "The new MacBook packaging is 41 percent smaller than the previous generation" and is made from recycled material.

  • Smaller packaging, they say, means fewer planes to transport the same number of products.

  • Follow our updates on twitter.

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Add Note Step 2

  • It looks like a MacBook Air from the top, but it's about 25% thicker than the thickest part of the Air, and almost 6 times thicker than the thinnest part.

  • To be fair, though, it's about 12 percent thinner than its predecessor (0.95 in vs. 1.08 in) and 10 percent lighter (4.5 pounds vs. 5 pounds).

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Add Note Step 3

  • In the box:

    • 85-page user's manual

    • Restore DVDs

    • 60-watt AC adapter

    • AC adapter extension cable

    • Cleaning cloth

  • As with previous MacBooks, there's no video adapter included. There's an empty spot in the box where it would fit nicely, but there's no adapter to be found. Apple offers the DisplayPort adapter for $29 extra.

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Add Note Step 4

  • There's a new Mini DisplayPort (fourth from the right), and a complete lack of a FireWire port.

  • It may be hard to tell from the image, but there are now 8 lights on the battery indicator, and it's conveniently located where you can actually see it.

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Add Note Step 5

  • Opening the battery latch.

  • For those hurt by the financial crisis, a coin is no longer required.

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Add Note Step 6

  • The hard drive is on the left, and the battery is on the right.

  • The new MacBook uses the same, hard drives as previous MacBook models.

  • Shameless plug: If you're not ready for a new machine, you can upgrade the hard drive in any Apple laptop. We have free guides for most models that make hard drive replacements easy.

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Add Note Step 7

  • The battery is 45 watt-hours compared to 55 on the previous generation. It's also almost 20 percent lighter (302 g vs. 402 g).

  • Still, Apple claims that you'll get 5 hours of wireless productivity (with the display brightness set to 50 percent).

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Add Note Step 8

  • The hard drive is held down by a single Phillips screw.

  • Like the last black MacBook, the standard hard drive on the 2.4 GHz model is 250GB SATA and 5400 rpm.

Notes

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