Today, we took apart the new Macbook 13 Inch Retina to determine things such as repair procedure and future repairability. The device is incredibly easy to open up and take apart. The downside however is that as Apple shrinks their products, more components are combined decreasing the number of repairable parts. For example, the display is fused together as in the 15″ retina models eliminating the ability for self repair on the display. Also, the battery is fused to the top case preventing users from swapping out their own batteries.
In usual fashion, today we received and took apart the iPod Nano 7th Generation. This Nano is incredibly difficult to take apart and will not be serviceable by most end users. The logic board, headphone board, volume cable, and battery are all one assembly. The components are so crammed in the casing that the likelihood of opening the device up for repair and not damaging a component is very small. Even our skilled technicians had difficulties with this one.
One design point worth mentioning is the number of curves in some of the cables such as the digitizer cable. We’re unsure why Apple has gone with this design change in these cables for the latest iPod revisions.
You can find photos of all the individual parts in our iPod Nano 7th Generation Product Category:
Yesterday we released our video showing how to take apart the Kindle Paperwhite. It is embedded below. Parts the Kindle Paperwhite can be found on our website at the link below.
Our Gadget Sale program has been a huge success. To date we’ve purchased around $650,000 worth of devices from individuals and companies.
Most people want checks or Paypal for their devices the same day we receive their device, but every device that comes in must be thoroughly diagnosed first. Some people wonder why we must diagnose systems, so we thought we’d post one of the reasons why this is necessary.
Yesterday we received an iPod Touch 4th Gen via our Gadget Sale program that was full of pennies. It had some “components” inside most of which were modified just to look like the item was a real iPod. The LCD and digitizer look real enough, but the LCD is just a cosmetic backing.
The fake is actually very well done. It was a good attempt, but in the end, we aren’t going to buy it.
Today we’re unveiling another one of our repurposing projects. We’ve done several of these throughout the 10 years we’ve been in business such as our Mac Jewelry project a few years back.
The iPry quite simply is the coolest bottle opener ever. Having a party? Bring out the iPry and have your friends drool over your totally unique bottle opener. Unnecessary, yes. Cool, absolutely.
The iPry is made from used non-working power adapters. Rather than have the adapters end up in a landfill, we decided to repurpose them. If you have a non-working adapter already, then don’t buy one from us! Keep yours out of a landfill by cutting the end off and sticking it in a kitchen drawer.
As the iPry is made from used adapters, the condition of every iPry will be slightly different. These ARE NOT NEW. The iPry units will have scratches and blemishes consistent with used adapters.
What’s the point?
The mission of PowerbookMedic is to reduce the amount of electronic waste going into landfills by providing services to increase the life cycle of a gadget and by implementing recycling programs for electronic components that have reached the end of their life cycle. One way we achieve our mission is by repurposing otherwise useless material.
Where do all these used adapters come from?
We purchase large volumes of used devices in working and non working condition from individuals and businesses via our Gadget Sale program. Have a device to sell, then click on the Sell It navigation tab to find out what we’re paying for it.
Due to a large number of requests for them, we have manufactured replacement feet for the Macbook Unibody, Macbook Pro Unibody, and Macbook Air models.
These replacement feet are identical to the original feet in appearance but are made of rubber rather than plastic. They also have a strong 3M adhesive to adhere them to the bottom case. They have been manufactured to be a perfect fit for the foot location on the bottom case.
These feet can be used to replace a single foot that has fallen out of your Macbook or to replace all of the feet.
The set of 4 feet is $12.95 and is available from the link below:
The day after receiving an iPhone 5, we discovered an issue where whenever the device is turned there is a noticeable thud in the device. (The device had not been dropped or misused in any way.)The issue appears to be widespread and due to the battery not being properly seated on the adhesive.
The issue has been documents at the Apple Discussion Forums:
There is a way to fix the issue without opening up the device or taking it back to Apple. We do recommend taking the device to Apple as the unit is under warranty. However if you’re looking for a quick fix, here it is.
