All eyes are on the Touch Bar-packing new MacBook Pro, revealed by Apple last week but, if you're on a tighter budget, there's still the entry-level model to consider without all the OLED whizz-bang.
But if you think you're going to save some moolah with a DIY repair should anything go wrong further down the line, think again. iFixit has gotten intimate with the entry-level 2016 MacBook Pro's innards, and they're not all that impressed.
Even without the added complication of the Touch Bar, this year's 13-inch model is still set to be a pain to fix.
- For full-size touchscreens, see the best 2-in-1 laptops of 2016
Glue, more glue and proprietary screws
Pop off the MacBook Pro's backplate (you'll find Apple's still sticking with its proprietary pentalobe screws to hold everything together) and it becomes clear that the Cupertino company still loves a liberal slathering of glue. The batteries in particular are covered in the stuff, and will require heat being applied to remove.
Even elements that sounded at launch like a potential boon have proved less useful in practice. Sure, the SSD is now replaceable - but it's a proprietary module that you'll struggle to buy off the shelf.
And as for the newly-introduced "advanced thermal architecture"? This amounts to little more than a new placement for the heat sink screws on the other side of the logic board.
With an iFixit repairability score of just 2 out of 10, the entry-level MacBook Pro is another Apple device that budding DIY fixers should approach with caution.
