For the primary time in practically a decade, Apple is ready to restore particular person MacBook Professional audio system with out changing different elements too.
In a memo shared with Apple Shops and Apple Approved Service Suppliers this week, Apple mentioned it’s providing audio system as standalone restore components for the brand new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional fashions with the M4, M4 Professional, and M4 Max chips. That is the primary time Apple has made particular person MacBook Professional speaker components accessible since 2015.
For all MacBook Professional fashions launched between 2016 and 2023, Apple replaces all the “top case” with the battery and different elements for speaker repairs. This ends in out-of-warranty speaker repairs costing a whole bunch of {dollars} greater than they need to, so standalone speaker components will make these repairs much more inexpensive.
Even higher, the speaker components is not going to be restricted to technicians on the Genius Bar and Apple Approved Service Suppliers. Apple has already shared speaker restore manuals for the brand new MacBook Professional fashions on its web site, so it ought to make the standalone speaker components accessible to order via its self-service restore retailer quickly.
The restore process is pretty complicated, involving using Kevlar thread, speaker set up caps, and a single-use battery cowl, so the typical buyer will doubtless wish to depend on an skilled technician to make sure it’s accomplished accurately. Fortuitously, those that decide to go down that route ought to pay far lower than they’d have earlier than.
Replace: Based on a dependable supply, Apple is now giving technicians entry to particular person speaker components for ALL 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional fashions with Apple silicon, going again to fashions with M1 Professional and M1 Max chips. It stays to be seen if these components for older fashions can be added to the self-service restore retailer too.
