iFixit just published its breakdown the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Apple M1 processor. In some predictable conclusions, the firm specializing in repair of electronic equipment found little variation in the internal design of the two pieces of equipment. Perhaps most notable was the removal of the fan from the MacBook Air, although that didn’t entail a reorganization of the interior.
New M1 SoC and goodbye to the MacBook Air fan
We already knew that the new Macs with Apple Silicon M1 keep the external design teams. Now and thanks to iFixit, we corroborate that the interior has hardly changed except for the replacement of the Intel processor by the Apple SoC. A change of great importance which also means the elimination of the fan in the inlet model.
On the left, an early 2020 MacBook Air with an Intel processor; Right, a new MacBook Air with an M1 processor.
As this iFixit screenshot shows, the early 2020 MacBook Air with an Intel chip and the late 2020 MacBook Air with an M1 processor they are almost identical. Now the heat is dissipated through an aluminum plate on top of the M1 which carries heat to the end of the computer, cooling down along the way.
From iFixit, they ensure that this system takes longer to cool down and that it warms up sooner, but that there is now more space for the heat “exhaust pipe”. What is undeniable is that lack of mechanical parts, the chances of your computer crashing or crashing are greatly reduced. Without a fan, there are no mechanical parts to break.
For iFixit, these are all changes. New M1 processor, replacement of the fan with an aluminum plate and a slight change in the specifications of the battery model.
Even fewer changes to the MacBook Pro, a prelude to a complete overhaul
While the MacBook Air skipped the fan as a major change, the MacBook Pro remains pretty much the same. The truth is that iFixit comparisons they are not used to know the huge change which meant the introduction of M1 processors in Macs and also doesn’t reveal the huge improvements on the battery front and runtime.
On the left, early 2020 MacBook Pro; right, MacBook Pro with M1 processor.
Which brings us to the next logical thought: if these improvements were made simply by changing processors, what might we see in future equipment? It is clear that Apple will work on Mac who are already taking advantage of the possibilities offered by Apple Silicon.
Concretely, we can expect a redesign which highlights the lightness of the equipment, less thickness, a battery similar to the one currently produced but with a different distribution and greater consolidation of components. In conclusion, we would see a complete reorganization of the interior of a new generation of Macs.
What is clear is that so far we’ve seen what portable (and desktop) Macs looked like in the Intel era. With the start of the M1 era, Apple decided that it was enough to swap the processor without making any other changes. But clearly, we haven’t seen what Macs from the Apple Silicon era look like yet.
