INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Given that Apple has continually made its laptops incredibly difficult to repair, it’s nice to see that the tech giant’s desktop
alternatives are headed in the opposite direction.The site iFixit is renowned for its in-depth teardowns of brand new tech and the resulting
instructions it provides (covering thousands of products) are a fantastic resource.iFixit's become particularly famous for doling out 'ease
of repair' scores on hot new tech, and with Apple’s 2019 Mac Pro, the result is a perhaps surprising one, with the new desktop scoring an
impressive 9/10 and being heralded as “a masterclass in repairability”.That high praise is largely due to the computer's deliberately
modular design, with iFixit noting that Apple even offers “some step numbers and diagrams right on the device, and publishes free repair
manuals for some repairs”.Also garnishing praise from the teardown experts is the Mac Pro’s ability to be repaired using “standard
tools, or even no tools at all” as well as its adoption of “industry-standard sockets and interfaces” for its major components.iFixit
has noted a couple of drawbacks, though one of those is perhaps forgivable; the SSDs used by Apple are custom-made and tied to the
device’s T2 security chip for the sake of encryption, and as such, replacing these does require an Apple technician.Users may also find it
difficult (or expensive) to locate any replacement parts that aren’t on Apple’s “limited list of approved repairs,'' according to
iFixit – although many are more niche parts, so it remains to be seen how likely you’ll need to be making these kinds of tweaks.During
the teardown, iFixit also put to bed any rumors that may suggest the Mac Pro would, in fact, make for an excellent cheese grater
It doesn’t, sadly.[via iFixit]
