iFixit recently did a complete teardown of the newest MacBook Pro with Retina display and dubbed it the “least repairable laptop” that it had ever taken apart. The repair website has now posted a complete repair guide for the Retina MacBook Pro that breaks it down by component.
The component breakdown includes the logic board, left and right fans, SSD, microphone, headphone jack and more. Of special interest to iFixit was the battery, which iFixit estimates could cost $500 to replace if people follow the safer, Apple suggested method of repair by replacing the entire upper case assembly along with the battery.
iFixit’s earlier teardown found the battery so difficult to repair because of Apple’s attempts to keep the laptop so thin. For example, instead of using screws, the battery is glued into the case and the different parts of the display assembly have been merged together, getting rid of a glass protection layer.
So long story short, you’ll possibly pay around $500 to replace the entire upper case assembly and battery or follow iFixit’s guide to install it yourself.
