iFixIt Dissembles 11″ MacBook Air

iFixIt, the website devoted to making technical repairs easy enough for anyone to attempt them, has taken apart the new 11.6-inch MacBook Air. Here are their comments on the new SSD:

The drive is a completely custom part, and will probably only be available through Apple support services, thereby putting another nail in the coffin for user-serviceability. The new SSD drive is 2.45 mm thick compared to the platter-based 5.12 mm thickness of the old Air’s drive. Being smaller in two of three dimensions definitely helps the new Air achieve a super-slim profile.

While this is a turn-off for tinkerers, it makes the Air’s instant-on feature and slim case possible. However, the SSD module isn’t soldered to the logic board, leaving the possibility open for third-party upgrade options.

The RAM in this model — like previous MacBook Air models — is part of the logic board itself.

Stephen Hackett, formerly a Lead Mac Genius at Apple, now spends his days running the IT department of a large non-profit in Memphis, TN. He writes about Apple, design and journalism at forkbombr.net. Like all twenty-somethings, you can find him on Twitter. Oh, and he has a dogcow tattoo.