IFixit: Apple's MacBook / Pro self-service maintenance plan is unreliable. Replacing batteries costs more than a thousand more than after-sale.

CTOnews.com Earlier this week, Apple announced a self-repair service for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops equipped with M1 series chips, with repair manuals and original parts and tools available through Apple's self-repair shop.

However, repair guide site iFixit isn't happy with Apple's move. In a blog post, iFixit's Sam Goldheart said Apple's plan manages to make the MacBook Pro look "harder to fix," largely because Apple is currently expensive and time-consuming to replace MacBook Pro batteries.

Apple doesn't allow users to buy batteries separately for MacBook Pro, iFixit said, but must order a part called "Top Case." Users must then follow Apple's repair manual to replace the entire "Top Case" part of the MacBook Pro shown below.

"Top Case" parts include keyboards, batteries, speakers, etc. The 14-inch MacBook Pro version costs $527, about $200 more than Apple's official/authorized store to replace batteries.

CTOnews.com understands that Apple's 162-page repair manual costs $49 to rent a repair kit if users don't have the right tools, which is much more time and money than Apple's official/authorized store repairs.

Related Reading:

Apple Announces Self-Repair Service for M1 MacBook Air / Pro

Apple M1 MacBook Air / Pro already supports self-service, but can't upgrade configuration