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MacBook Neo's Keyboard Can Be Replaced Individually

Apple has published its MacBook Neo repair manual, and it reveals some big repairability news: the keyboard can be replaced individually.

macbook neo touch id
For many years, replacing the keyboard in a MacBook has required replacing the entire Top Case, which refers to the top half of the aluminum shell surrounding the keyboard. For example, the latest MacBook Air has a "Top Case with Keyboard" part, and the latest MacBook Pro models have a "Top Case with Battery and Keyboard" part.

For the MacBook Neo, there are separate Keyboard, Keyboard with Touch ID, and Top Case parts, and Apple shows how to replace the keyboard individually. While there are still more than 40 screws involved to replace the keyboard on its own, the process is much easier than replacing an entire Top Case, which requires lots of disassembly.

More importantly for customers, the MacBook Neo's individual keyboard parts will likely be much more affordable when they become available on Apple's self-service store. In the U.S., Top Case parts for recent MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models cost around $400 to $600. The standalone Keyboard and Keyboard with Touch ID parts for the MacBook Neo will likely be hundreds of dollars cheaper by comparison, but exact pricing remains to be seen.

MacBook Neo launched on Wednesday, and it has been praised for its value and performance. Now, improved repairability is another positive.

Related Roundup: MacBook Neo
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Neo (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Neo

Top Rated Comments

3 weeks ago
I hope this solution will be adopted in more expensive MacBooks as well.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
3 weeks ago
YES!

Repairable and replaceable components are how a computer should be designed.

Across all the Macs, let's get back to slotted SSDs as well. 🙏
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
3 weeks ago
This will be a key to its success, no?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
boswald Avatar
3 weeks ago
This is a great move. Repairability has been a problem plaguing Apple products for many years (Just ask Louis Rossmann) so this is most welcome. Although I'm not the type to do the repairs myself, I welcome the change.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
3 weeks ago
USB-C ports are modular on this thing. The battery is sans-adhesive. The display assembly is relatively cheap. All wins here for the mainstream user.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Happy_John Avatar
3 weeks ago

Do edu admins actually repair computers? The few I've dealt with just throw out broken ones, unless it's something really simple like an SSD or memory swap (which you can't do on a Neo). Disassembling a computer and removing 40 keyboard screws for a single computer seems a bit of an ask or an overworked school IT worker.
It very much depends on the school / institution and how big an IT budget they have. Some act like corporations : "bin and replace", others very much have a "waste nothing" policy.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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