So, it might be a bad idea if you try to take apart your 2016 MacBook and try to fix it up.
The folks over at iFixit, a company that provides tools for do-it-yourselfers to fix their electronics, have found that the 2016 MacBook is not so fixer-friendly. In fact, the company argues that it might come with a feature that makes it tamper-proof, so Apple (AAPL) can determine whether it’s been tinkered with, which could ultimately void the warranty.
At the center of that question is an unidentified “substance” iFixit discovered when it was tearing down the MacBook. The company says that when a user inserts a screwdriver, the substance disintegrates, never to be seen again.
“Are you sealing our MacBook with tamper-evident screws, Apple?” IFixit asked in its teardown. The company added in its findings that the substance made it feel uncomfortable.
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“Tamper-evident hinge screws make you feel like a hoodlum for repairing your own machine,” iFixit wrote.
Apple launched its 2016 MacBook last week. The device comes with the same thin design as its predecessor and weighs just two pounds. Apple updated the computer’s processors to boost its power and promised an hour more of battery life. The company’s Rose Gold finish is also available as another color option.
While the iFixit finding isn’t a game-changer for the vast majority of users—very few people bust open their expensive electronics to fix an issue—it might annoy those who enjoy the hobby. It might also be an issue for third-party companies that fix Apple products as part of their business.
Apple has historically made it difficult to open and fix the components inside its devices, which has forced the average consumer to head to the company’s Genius Bar for help. Sometimes, replacing components will cost users hundreds of dollars in repairs, if the device isn’t covered under AppleCare, the company’s extended warranty.
Like other companies, Apple uses a wide range of screws and adhesives to keep its computers together. However, according to iFixit, it also uses a wide range of unorthodox screws, including Torx screws. Just opening the MacBook, for instance, requires a pentalobe screwdriver, T5 and T9 Torx screwdrivers, tweezers, and a Phillips screwdriver, among other tools.
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Due to the complexity of fixing Apple products, a cottage industry of sorts has developed, where small third-party companies get the tools required to bust open a device and fix it. However, if a person comes in to the Apple Store for service after trying to fix the problem themselves or with help from an unauthorized third party, the warranty on the product may no longer apply.
In fact, in its list of ways the warranty on a Mac does not apply, Apple says that it will not cover any “damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.”
It’s unknown whether Apple has used substances in the past to determine whether a product has been tampered with by someone other than the company or an authorized third party.
Beyond warranty concerns, however, actually taking apart and trying to fix the new MacBook seems like a fool’s errand. IFixit gave the device a “repairability score” of just one out of a possible 10. Its chief complaint: Apple has fused the MacBook’s display to the unit, so if the screen goes bad, it’ll be an expensive upgrade.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it used a new substance to determine tampering.
