14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has recently expanded the Self Service Repair program to also include MacBooks running on Apple Silicon.
This is obviously good news, as owners themselves can take care of certain repairs, including (according to Apple), the trackpad, the display, and the battery.
Out of all these repairs, there’s one that most users would sooner or later have to do: a battery replacement once the original unit reaches a certain degradation level.
In other words, Apple providing manuals on how to replace the battery in an M1-powered MacBook is definitely good news, as it pretty much extends the life of the device.
But repair specialists iFixit claim that Apple’s new program is a double-edged sword. And while it may seem easy to replace the battery of a MacBook by following Apple’s step-by-step instructions, the whole process is a lot more complicated than it seems.
Super-expensive process
So complicated, in fact, that the process is detailed by Apple in no less than 162 pages. More so, iFixit warns that replacing the battery itself isn’t possible, as users would have to install a new top case with a battery and a keyboard. The cost? Much higher than for a single battery, as MacBook owners would have to spend some $500 on the whole kit
“This time, along with the manuals, Apple is presenting DIY repairers with an excruciating gauntlet of hurdles: read 162 pages of documentation without getting intimidated and decide to do the repair anyway, pay an exorbitant amount of money for an overkill replacement part, decide whether you want to drop another 50 bucks on the tools they recommend, and do the repair yourself within 14 days, including completing the System Configuration to pair your part with your device. Which makes us wonder, does Apple even want better repairability?” iFixit explains.
It remains to be seen how many people end up replacing the battery of their MacBooks on their own, but at some level, spending $500 on the kit still makes the whole thing more affordable than getting a new laptop in the first place.