Repair site iFixIt posts M4 MacBook Air teardown

The M4 MacBook Air has received the teardown treatment, and it is strikingly similar to its older brothers.

Released by iFixIt today, a new teardown video and report shows that Apple hasn't bucked any trends when it comes to the design of its latest laptop. The M4 MacBook Air (curr. $999 on Amazon), which iFixiIt fully disassembled, looks practically the same as the M3 MacBook Air, which looked similar to the M2 MacBook Air. 

The notebook received a 5/10 repairability score from iFixIt. Highlights include the availability of a repair manual, an easily accessible battery (and battery connector), and ports that are fairly easy to disconnect and replace. However, the M4 Air still has a fused keyboard (which is difficult, if not impossible, to replace), a  Touch ID sensor that is tedious to access, and an annoyance that hinders screen replacements.

This hurdle is Apple's System Configuration tool, which is needed for the laptop to recognize a new display and enable all its features. Essentially, if a display is not repaired by an Apple Certified Repair Technician or through Apple's Self Service Repair program, the laptop will disable certain display features like True Tone. 

All said, the MacBook Air is reasonably repairable, particularly when it comes to the parts that are the most likely to wear out over time (e.g., the ports and the battery). However, it's still a right-to-repair nightmare thanks to Apple's ideology surrounding replacement parts.