‘Tinkerers’ at iFixit Fashion Method of Replacing MacBook Pro Retina Batteries

The “tinkerers” at iFixit have been fans of MacBook Pros for a long time for the device's “legacy of user-repair and upgradability,” the do-it-yourself repair company said in a Wednesday blog post. “But all that changed in 2012 when Apple introduced its sleek, non-upgradable MacBook Pro Retina with a battery stubbornly glued to the frame,” it said. MacBook Pro Retina models “have remained super hard to repair ever since,” it said. “Apple only repairs devices for a limited amount of time, and we don’t think the life of a laptop should be limited to the life of its battery.” The company, after a “whole lot of testing and experimentation on dozens of formulations,” finally devised a “DIY repair solution for folks who want to replace the battery in their MacBook Pro Retina,” it said. The challenge was “how best to loosen that adhesive without compromising the battery,” it said. It ultimately settled on “a blend of household chemicals--safe to use, but potent enough to get the job done,” it said. “The repair is still a fair bit of work: removing the battery requires a lot of caution and patience--but it’s definitely doable with the right tools, the right instructions, and the right adhesive removal technique.” Apple representatives didn’t comment Friday.