Some of iFixit’s discoveries were expected – such as the inclusion of a single 256GB flash storage chip instead of two 128GB modules like the M1 MacBook Air. That design decision was spotted in an earlier teardown by Max Tech, and is believed to be the reason for the M2 model’s slower-than-expected SSD performance.
Other revelations were more surprising. Most notably, the Air contains a mysterious accelerometer, which iFixit itself was unable to explain. “If you have any idea why Apple might be putting one in its new laptop, let us know!” Presenter says.
The iPhone and iPad have had accelerometers for years, which measure the speed, rotation, speed, and acceleration of the devices. Several apps access the data produced by the accelerometer: it can be used for a variety of tasks such as counting steps, switching between landscape and portrait orientation, controlling the character in-game, and moving your handset when you move. Undoing a piece of typing.
Yet most of the accelerometer-related functions of a phone or tablet make little sense when transferred to a laptop; It’s still a mobile device in the broadest sense, but you can move it by swinging it around, turning it on its side or (we hope) rocking it. So while Apple may have software plans that will eventually take advantage of this new hardware, it’s hard to predict what they might be.
Cynical, mind you—and there are plenty in the comments of iFixit’s video—can speculate that the accelerometer is for Apple’s benefit, not ours. Namely, its data could potentially be used to determine if a laptop was dropped, and thus rule against the customer in certain warranty situations.
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This is a depressing thought, so let’s get back to the teardown. Another minor mystery concerns the passive cooling system of the air. Like its predecessor, the M2 Air has no fan, and iFixit has found that it doesn’t even have a heat spreader (whereas its predecessor did).
“How does this thing cool down?” The presenter wonders. “Sure, there is a lot of thermal paste and graphite tape in it, and yes the M2 is efficient, but this shield is very thin so it is not helping much. And the case is lighter than last year… so … maybe the M2 Air is secretly an iPad, or maybe Apple is letting it heat up.”
The lack of active (and, apparently, passive) cooling is a potential headache for the M2 Air, and some reviewers have highlighted overheating as an issue. It didn’t trouble us as much, though: In testing our in-depth review of the MacBook Air, performance was slightly slower than the fan-cooled MacBook Pro, but that was it.
Despite these mysterious revelations, we still think the MacBook Air is an attractive laptop. It’s available to buy now, and we’ve selected the best places to get great deals on the MacBook Air.
