MacBook Pro battery with Retina display is attached to the top cover of the machine

iFixit publishes a series of repair guides for MacBooks Pro with Retina display

The website TreeHugger, which talks about sustainability and the environment, had access to an Apple ad for its technicians about repairing the new MacBooks Pro with Retina display. Among several explanations for handling the new Mac, this topic caught the attention of the site (emphasis added):

• Top cover with built-in batteryThe top cover of the MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012) has a built-in battery, keyboard, ventilation ducts and microphone. The batteries need to be replaced near the top cover. The battery itself is not a removable part.

So if the battery attached to your MacBook Pro stops working properly and your warranty has expired, you will have to pay for a perfectly functioning keyboard, ventilation ducts and microphone. It is no wonder that changing the battery of the new MacBook Pro is 54% more expensive than that of previous models. This is a problem that we will have to face for the sake of thickness and design. Therefore, only Apple will be able to safely change the battery – locking its consumers to authorized service.

Another concern of the TreeHugger it is with the recycling of the new MacBooks, which is compromised, since the removal of the battery cannot be done with conventional instruments. It was even this and other difficulties encountered to dismantle it that led iFixit to score 1/10 in terms of repairability.