MacBook Pro M4 highlights need for right to repair for laptops

As a star brand in the small technological world, Apple has the right to special attention when releasing its new products… and afterwards too. After carrying out a thorough disassembly of all the new features announced by Apple at the start of the school year, iFixit began testing the MacBook Pro 14 M4. And the least we can say is that after relatively good surprises on the repair front in recent weeks, Apple is dampening our hopes with this new machine.

After an innovative battery changing process on the iPhone 16 And the pleasant surprise that the new Mac Mini representedthe Apple brand is returning to its bad habits on the very latest Macbook Pro, emphasizing, in passing, why the right to repair must remain a political and legislative fight of the first order.

Complex dismantling

On the good news side, we note thatApple has made available a complete and very well illustrated repair guide for its new computer. Attention which will allow the most daring to try the adventure of home repair. You still have to want it.

Indeed, beyond the nicely replaceable USB-C ports, most components will require a good dose of patience and talent to change. Changing the battery, which is the component whose wear (and therefore the need for replacement) will be felt most quickly, requires that we first dismantle the touchpad under which there are removable adhesive strips. An improvement over previous generations which were full of glue, but a process that remains intimidating nonetheless.

Removing the motherboard requires numerous screwdriver blows, delicate disconnections of connectors and foolproof organization to store the numerous screws that hold it in place.

Serialization, a still-living problem

But the MacBook Pro 14 M4's repairability issues go beyond disassembly itself. More specifically, they are on the side of MacBook serialization methods. This method of “securing” parts lock the components of a computer to its serial number. Changing the motherboard alone will cause a flood of software and hardware problems, leaving the only prospect of going to carry out the repair directly at the Apple Store. Too bad for those who are not lucky enough to have this type of store near their home.

Serialization was however prohibited by a European directive adopted last June. And if all EU countries have not yet translated it into their national law, this practice tends to disappear on smartphones. Unfortunately, this new “right to repair” promoted by Brussels does not concern computers.

Indeed, as HOP and the Right to Repair coalition already regretted at the timethe scope of this European right to repair remains limited. It only concerns washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, televisions, welders, vacuum cleaners, servers, telephones, tablets and batteries for light means of transport. The notable exception of computers therefore allows Apple to continue to make the repair of MacBooks unnecessarily complex.