Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
I should warn you that opening the case technically voids your MacBook Air warranty, if it's still in effect.
Working with a third-, fourth-, or fifth-generation MacBook Air
Actually, I should say that it's not difficult if you have a first- (2008) or second-generation (early 2010)
MacBook Air. I'll show you how to replace the battery in those versions in the next section.
Things are quite a bit trickier with the third-generation (late 2010), fourth-generation (mid-2011), and fifth-gen-
eration (mid-2012) MacBook Air. That's because Apple decided to secure the case with ten so-called
tamper-
proof
(or sometimes
security
) Torx screws. These differ from regular Torx screws because they have a small
metal bump in the middle. This prevents a regular Torx screwdriver from seating properly within the screw. So,
the only way to remove a third-, fourth- or fifth-generation MacBook Air case is to use a Torx screwdriver de-
signed to work with tamperproof Torx screws.
Because screwdrivers that can work with tamperproof Torx screws are often hard to find and because, as I write
this, it's devilishly difficult to get a replacement battery for these models of MacBook Air, I won't go into all
the details.
To get inside the case, you need a T5 Torx tamperproof screwdriver. If you have one, use it to remove the ten
Torx screws that secure the case. The third-, fourth-, and fifth-generation MacBook Air battery appears to be di-
vided into several sections, but it's actually just a single battery pack, as shown previously in Figure 9.1. To re-
move the battery pack, you must first remove five regular Torx T5 screws. Four of these are on the corners of
the battery pack and the fifth is in the middle. Carefully, lift up the entire pack, and then gently pull the plastic
tab to release the battery connector, as shown in Figure 9.7. Grab the new battery, insert the connector, drop the
battery into its slot, and then replace the screws.
Because the third-, fourth-, and fifth-generation MacBook Airs use several different screw lengths, make sure you
keep track of which screw goes where. Also, be sure to touch a metal object before opening the case to ground yourself
and prevent a discharge of static electricity from damaging any sensitive components inside the case.
