Hardware

Apple MacBook Air Teardown (13-inch 2010)

By // November 1, 2010, 1:08 PM PST // billdetwiler

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  • Cracking Open the MacBook Air

    In October 2010, Apple released the 2nd generation MacBook Air. The redesigned notebook is available in 11-inch and 13-inch models. We cracked open the 1st generation MacBook Air (released in 2008) and couldn't wait to get our hands on the 2010 model.

    Follow along as we crack open the 13-inch MacBook Air.

    To disassemble the new Air you'll need a screwdriver with Torx T5 and T9 bits and either a very small flathead screwdriver or a special five-point Torx security bit.

    Don't forget to check out our teardown of the 11-inch MacBook Air.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • In the box

    The 2010 MacBook Air is available in four basic configurations--11-inch with 64GB of storage, 11-inch with 128GB of storage, 13-inch with 128GB of storage, and 13-inch with 256GB of storage. Within each of these divisions, you can further customize the processor and RAM.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air boxes

    We purchased both an 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air. In this photo, the smaller Air is sitting on the larger.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Technical Specifications

    Our $1,299 MacBook Air (13-inch) came with a 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, 2GB SDRAM, 128GB flash storage, NVIDIA GEForce 320M GPU with 256MB of shared memory, and an 13.3-inch LED-backlit display.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Opening the box

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

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  • Under the MacBook Air

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • 45W MagSafe Power Adapter

    Both the 13-inch and 11-inch MacBook Airs use a 45W MagSafe Power Adapter.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Software Reinstall Drive - Top

    A long-overdue feature, this USB drive lets you reinstall the versions of OS X and iLife that ship with the MacBook Air.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Software Reinstall Drive - Top

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Front

    Like the original MacBook Air, the 2010 version has no lid latch.

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    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Back

    Nothing to see on the back. All the ports are on the sides.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Right Side

    Along the right side are one of the MacBook Air's two USB port, the Mini DisplayPort, and the SD card slot (available only on the 13-inch model).

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Left Side

    Along the left side are the MagSafe power port, the second USB port, the headphone jack, and the microphone.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • 11-inch and 13-inch 2010 MacBook Airs

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Lid open

    The MacBook Air has an 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display that supports several resolutions--including 1440 x 900 pixels (16:10).

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Keyboard

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    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Bottom

    On the bottom of the MacBook Air the bottom panel's screws and four rubberized feet.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Top

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Tamper-resistant Torx screws

    Although the MacBook Air's case screws are easily accessible on the bottom panel, Apple used 5-point, tamper-resistant Torx screws.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Small slotted screwdriver

    As with the 11-inch MacBook Air, I was able to remove all 10 case screws with a small slotted screwdriver.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Case screws removed

    While I slightly damaged a few of the screw heads, I should be able to put them back in. If you're going to work on the new MacBook Air, I recommend getting a screwdriver specifically made for this type of screw.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Lifting off the bottom panel

    With the case screws removed, you can lift the bottom panel away from the case.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Bottom panel - External

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Bottom panel - Internal

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • First look inside

    With the bottom panel removed, we get our fist look at the MacBook Air's internal hardware. The large battery assembly takes up the vast majority of room inside the case. Above the battery, is the main logic board, cooling fan, wireless card, and SSD storage unit.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Removing the battery screws

    Five Torx T5 screws hold the battery in place.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Disconnecting the battery

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Battery - Top

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  • Battery - Bottom

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    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Battery Model A1377

    The 2010, 13-inch MacBook Air has a 7.3V, 50Wh Li-ion battery. The 11-inch Air has a a 7.3V, 35Wh Li-ion battery.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Battery removed

    With the battery removed, we can see the connections for the MacBook Air's Multi-Touch Trackpad.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Cooling fan still in place

    Next, I'll remove the cooling fan, which is held in place by four Torx T5 screws--one of which is hidden under the cables that run along the bottom of the fan's housing.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Left-side circuit board connector

    Before removing the fan, you'll need to detach both ends of a thin ribbon cable that connects the small, left-side circuit board to the main logic board. This smaller board contains the MagSafe power port, one of the unit's two USB ports, and the headphone jack.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Removing the fan screws

    With all the screws removed, and the cables disconnected, you can lift the cooling fan away from the main logic board.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Hidden fan screw

    As I noted earlier, one of the fan screws is hidden under a cable that runs along the bottom of the fan's housing. There's also a single Torx T5 screw that holds the left-side circuit board to the case.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Left-side circuit board - Top

    The small circuit board, located on the case's left side, contains the MagSafe power port, USB port, and headphone jack.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Left-side circuit board - Bottom

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Cooling fan - Top

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Cooling fan - Bottom

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Cooling Fan and Left-side Circuit board removed

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Removing the 128GB flash storage unit

    The 2010 MacBook Air uses flash storage, exclusively. Our test unit came with 128GB. A single Torx T5 screw holds the unit in place. Once the screws is removed, you can disconnect the unit from the main logic board.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • 128GB flash storage unit removed

    A logic board screws is hidden under the SSD unit.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • 128GB flash storage unit - Front

    The MacBook Air's flash storage unit contains four main components--the circuit board, a Toshiba Solid State Drive controller, a Micron DDR DRAM cache, and the actual Toshiba flash memory chips.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • MSI 0MA17 D9HSJ DRAM cache

    The 2010 MacBook Air's storage unit has a MSI 0MA17 D9HSJ DRAM cache chip.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Toshiba Solid State Drive Controller

    The 2010 MacBook Air uses a Toshiba T6UG1XBG Solid State Drive controller.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Toshiba TH58NVG8D7FBASB 16GB flash memory chips

    Our 128GB MacBook Air's flash memory storage unit has four Toshiba TH58NVG8D7FBASB 32GB flash chips.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • 128GB flash storage unit - Back

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Broadcom Wireless card

    A single Torx T5 screw holds the Broadcom BCM943224PCIEBT2 wireless card in place. You'll also need to disconnect the antenna cables before removing the card.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Broadcom Wireless card removed

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Broadcom Wireless card - Front

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    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Broadcom Wireless card - Back

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Disconnecting the display cable

    The display cable requires a fair amount of force to pull free of its connector, but luckily it has a small handle to pull on. With this cable separated from its connector, we can lift the logic board away from the case.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Main logic board screws

    Sixe Torx T5 screws hold the main logic board to the case. Five are clearly visible. You'll also need to disconnect all the remaining cables before removing the logic board from the case.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Hidden logic board screw

    The sixth logic board screws is hidden under the wireless antenna cables. With the screws removed, you can lift the logic board away from the case.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Main logic board removed



    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Wireless antenna cable

    The wireless antenna cable runs along the case. You'll need to pull this cable free from the case, before removing the display and lid.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Display and Lid hinges

    The MacBook Air's display and lid are connected to the case via two hinges. Each hinge uses three Torx T9 screws--one more than the 11-inch Air.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Display and lid

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Lid removed

    With the lid and display removed, we can turn our attention to the Multi-Touch Trackpad.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Multi-Touch Trackpad screws

    Although the twp brackets that hold the Multi-Touch TrackPad to the case use a total of 12 screws, you only to remove the six screws attached to the case to take out the Trackpad.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Multi-Touch Trackpad - External

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Keyboard and case - Internal

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    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • TrackPad controller chips - Left side



    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

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  • TrackPad controller chips - Right side



    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

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  • Trackpad removed

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Microphone and speakers

    The MacBook Air's built-in microphone is located just above the speaker on the left side. As the speaker is glued to the case, I'm going to leave it in place.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Main logic board - Top

    The top of the main logic board contains three main components of the MacBook Air--the Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and NVIDIA GeForce 320M GPU (covered by the heat sink) and Elpida RAM chips.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Heat sink

    Eight Torx T5 screws hold the heat sink to the main logic board.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Heat sink removed

    We'll need to clean the thermal paste from the CPU and GPU for a clear look at the chips.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • CPU and GPU

    The NVIDIA GPU in located on the left and the Intel CPU is on the right. Let's take a closer look each chip.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • NVIDIA GeForce 320M GPU

    With the thermal paste cleaned off, we can clearly see the marking on the MacBook Air's NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86 GHz processor

    There are no visible marking on the core of our MacBook Air's Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86 GHz CPU, but there are markings printed onto the chip's green circuit board.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Elpida J1108EFBG-AE-F RAM

    Our MacBook Air came with 2GB of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM. Like the previous MacBook Air, the RAM is soldered to the main logic board. Upgrading the Air's RAM after purchase isn't possible. As the upgrade from 2GB to 4GB is only $100, I recommend going with the 4GB.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Apple markings on the main logic board

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • MX 25L3205D M2I-12G

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  • Misc. chips

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  • Misc. chips

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  • Main logic board - Bottom

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • More Elpida RAM chips

    A second set of Elpida RAM chips are located on the bottom of the main logic board.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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  • E4 3041 983P

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  • More logic board markings



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  • More Apple markings on the main logic board



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  • Completely disassembled

    While the 2010 MacBook Air isn't difficult to disassemble--tamper resistant case screws aside. Nearly all of the internal components are proprietary. It's unlikely that many IT pros, let alone the average consumer, will ever upgrade the RAM or replace the flash storage unit.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Cracking Open the MacBook Air

In October 2010, Apple released the 2nd generation MacBook Air. The redesigned notebook is available in 11-inch and 13-inch models. We cracked open the 1st generation MacBook Air (released in 2008) and couldn't wait to get our hands on the 2010 model.

Follow along as we crack open the 13-inch MacBook Air.

To disassemble the new Air you'll need a screwdriver with Torx T5 and T9 bits and either a very small flathead screwdriver or a special five-point Torx security bit.

Don't forget to check out our teardown of the 11-inch MacBook Air.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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By Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop supp...