MacBook models with Apple’s M1 processor have undergone iFixit’s teardown process, which shows that the internals have barely changed compared to Intel models. The iFixit team finds that these new MacBook models are “less accessible for upgrades and repairs.” The MacBook Air with Apple Silicon has much of the same component configuration as the previous generation model, with the exception of the fan that has been removed. The MacBook Pro with M1 processor has even fewer changes compared to the previous generation model.
Apple announced the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini earlier this month, which comes with its in-house M1 processor. The company claimed significant performance improvements with lower power consumption compared to previous models that ran on Intel processors. But not much seems to have changed internally. iFixit tore down the two new laptops and found that the internal layout was nearly identical for MacBook Air, especially MacBook Pro.
Starting with the M1-powered MacBook Air, the biggest change was the elimination of the fan, which was replaced with a simple aluminum heat spreader. This no longer means active cooling of the components, but it also offers quiet operation, less maintenance and a lower probability of mechanical failure. iFixit also notes that there is a new battery model with “minimally different specifications”.
The cooling system of the M1-based MacBook Pro is very similar to that of the Intel-based predecessor. A copper pipe conducts heat from the processor to a small heat sink, where the hot air is forced out by the fan. The fan is also identical to the one in the MacBook Pro 2020.
The M1 processor is based on a 5 nanometer process, has eight CPU cores and an integrated GPU with seven or eight cores. The RAM is also built into the processor and is called Unified Memory Architecture or UMA by Apple.
The M1-powered MacBook Air starts at Rs. 92,900 while the M1-powered MacBook Pro starts at Rs. 1,22,900. Mac Mini starts from Rs. 64,900.
Will Apple Silicon Lead to Affordable MacBooks in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
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