The system’s DIY repair chops are also mostly the same, unfortunately. In its latest teardown, iFixIt says it’s “sad to report that the M4 MacBook Air didn’t get any real repairability.” Furthermore, the repair specialists note that the several of the “welcome improvements” introduced on the iPhone side haven’t been ported over to Apple’s MacBook family.
To start with, the chassis design is unchanged from the M2 MacBook Air that was introduced in 2022. That means getting inside is the same process—remove four bottom screws and a couple of retaining clips, and then pull the bottom cover off. It’s not complicated, though not as easy as some (not all) Windows-based laptops.
One of the main reasons why a user might be inclined to tear open their MacBook Air (or any laptop) is to remove and replace the lithium polymer battery pack. Fortunately, the process isn’t daunting. Removing the bottom panel yields immediate access to the battery connector.
Unfortunately, the M4 MacBook Air does not employ the same electrically releasing adhesive as found in newer iPhone models. Four strips of adhesive hold the battery in place, and Apple’s repair manual suggests pulling them in pairs, “which is easier said than done.” Should one of the strips break, you’ll have to bust out a bottle of isopropyl alcohol to loosen the adhesive. That said, Apple gets kudos for not using adhesive on the battery cable that runs under the logic board.
As to the surprising bright spot, Apple earns brownie points for employing modular ports that are both easy to access and remove.
“One common failure point on laptops are their ports, mostly due to mechanical wear as cables get plugged and unplugged thousands of times. Thankfully, on the newer MacBook Airs, both the MagSafe and USB-C ports are the more accessible—and replaceable—component,” iFixIt notes.