Apple M1 MacBook teardowns reveal surprises

So how much has Apple changed the new M1-equipped MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros from their Intel predecessors? The good folks at iFixit reveal it all in their latest teardown.

Based on what I’ve read, many expected significant internal changes to accommodate the new M1 chip, perhaps with the convergence of the internal architecture of the Mac and the iPad. Given Apple’s predisposition to keep things as simple and easy as possible, I expected minimal changes.

It turns out I was right.

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The iFixit teardowns of the M1-powered MacBook Air and MacBook Pro reveal familiar designs.

“While Apple touts its M1-powered Macs as nothing less than a revolution, internally they could hardly be more similar to their predecessors,” writes Sam Goldheart of iFixit.

Inside the MacBook Air, the changes all revolve around the motherboard and cooling. The Air powered by M1 no longer has a fan, but uses an aluminum heat sink to dissipate the heat generated by the M1.

The M1 powered Pro has a similar heatsink and fan configuration as the Intel MacBook Pros.

Again, Apple has kept the designs as simple and unchanged as possible.

Then there is the motherboard with the M1 silicon. Along with the M1 processor, the motherboard houses chips from an array of vendors, such as Texas Instruments, Intersil, Winbond, Siliconix, National Semiconductor, and Intel (the Thunderbolt 4 controller).

One chip no longer present is Apple’s T2 security chip. The Secure Enclave has now been moved inside the M1, so this separate chip is no longer needed.

How will this design stand the test of time? Only time will tell, but by maintaining a familiar design, Apple is downplaying the number of new issues it might face.