MacBook Pro Retina 2013 is very difficult to fix when hardware failure

IFixIt's latest component endoscopic case shows that Apple's new MacBook Pro Retina 2013 launched in October is very difficult to repair when damaged.

15-inch Apple MacBook Pro Retina laptop gets the iFixIt "endoscope" component and evaluates the problem of repair when there is a problem - (iFixIt Photo)

iFixIt has explored details of the internal components of the 2013 MacBook Pro Retina series released by Apple on October 22.

Having a screen size of 15 inches but only 0.7 inches thin, the 2013 MacBook Pro Retina similar to the 2012 15 inch MacBook Pro Retina, is not easy to fix, or it is very difficult to correct when there is a problem.iFixIt gives the lowest score on the score column of 1-10 in terms of ease of damage (1-10, the most difficult to fix).

The exclusive Apple screw is used in components, the board makes it difficult to disassemble when there is no dedicated tool. Furthermore, the RAM memory is soldered to the board (Elpida DRAM type) and there is only one radiator inside the unit with a single heat sink.

MacBook Pro Retina 2013 is very difficult to fix when hardware failure Picture 2 MacBook Pro Retina 2013 is very difficult to fix when hardware failure Picture 2
Remove the board to review components of the MacBook Pro Retina 2013 - (Photo: iFixIt)

New in 2013 MacBook Pro Retina is Intel Core 4-generation chip (Intel Haswell), and Iris Pro graphics chip. Intel Haswell chip increases battery life by two hours and keeps battery space in the camera body like the previous generation. In addition, this new product line also integrates Intel Thunderbolt 2 port (Intel DSL5520 Thunderbolt 2 Controller).

Comparing the configuration of the 2013 MacBook Pro Retina and the MacBook Pro Retina 2012 size of 13 inches:

MacBook Pro Retina 2013 is very difficult to fix when hardware failure Picture 3 MacBook Pro Retina 2013 is very difficult to fix when hardware failure Picture 3
Users can choose a higher profile and the corresponding price increase - (Photo: TechCrunch)

	MacBook Pro Retina 2013	MacBook Pro Retina 2012
Screen / Shell	13,3 inch / 15 inch Aluminum cover No touch	13,3 inch / 15 inch Aluminum cover No touch
Resolution	2560 x 1600 (Retina)	2560 x 1600 (Retina)
Operating system	OS X Mavericks (10.9)	OS X Mountain Lion (10.8)
Storage capacity	128 GB SSD	128 GB SSD
Processor chip	Dual-core, Intel Core i5 2,4GHz (Haswell), 3MB L3 cache	Dual-core, Intel Core i5 2,5GHz (Sandy Bridge), 3MB L3 cache
Graphics	Intel Iris Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 4000
RAM memory	4GB DDR3L onboard	8GB DDR3L onboard
Connect	Thunderbolt 2, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0	Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, Thunderbolt, HDMI, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, SDXC memory card slot
Battery / Time of use	9 hours	6 hours
Weight	1,56kg	1,61kg
Reference price	Prices start from 1.999 USD	Starting from 2.199 USD

The configuration has increased significantly when choosing the 15-inch 2013 MacBook Pro Retina, specifically Intel Core i7, 8-16 GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce GT 650M discrete graphics card, and storage capacity of 256GB and 512GB . Prices start from $ 2,199-2,799.