MacBook Pro/w Retina display (2013) vs MacBook Air (2014)

News
By published

Is the six-month old MacBook Pro still better than the MacBook Air 2014?

Repairability

MacBooks are hard to repair as key components such as displays, batteries and RAM are glued in place. Choosing the amount of RAM is critical at the buying stage, as it's impossible to upgrade after purchase.

MacBook Air - The 2014 models have yet to be given a tear-down, but previous generation Airs scored 4/10 on iFixit and, with little changes to the device, we expect this to remain the same.

MacBook Pro w/Retina - The Pros have a paltry repairability score of 1/10, with the trackpad and display assembly proving problematic to replace.

Winner - MacBook Air - Repairing MacBooks is not straighforward, but the Air is a little easier to fix.

Khidr Suleman
Khidr Suleman is the Technical Editor at IT Pro, a role he has fulfilled since March 2012. He is responsible for the reviews section on the site  - so get in touch if you have a product you think might be of interest to the business world. He also covers the hardware and operating systems beats. Prior to joining IT Pro, Khidr worked as a reporter at Incisive Media. He studied law at the University of Reading and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism and Online Writing at PMA Training.
Marketing concept image showing megaphones.

Marketing talent brain drain could stunt channel partner success
A top-down illustration showing red, ghostly hands emanating from a monitor and typing on a computer keyboard to represent infostealer malware. Along the red hands and forearms of the implied hacker, binary is shown to represent stolen data.

Infostealer malware: What’s the threat to businesses?
Containerization concept image showing digital containers aligned together with glowing data transfers between.

Enterprise automation gains are being hampered by surging ‘data divides’

See more latest
Most Popular
Marketing concept image showing megaphones.
Marketing talent brain drain could stunt channel partner success
Containerization concept image showing digital containers aligned together with glowing data transfers between.
Enterprise automation gains are being hampered by surging ‘data divides’
Female developer carrying out software security flaw remediation tasks on desktop computer in dimly-lit room with two monitors.
Red teaming comes to the fore as devs tackle AI application flaws
A mechanic in a garage cleaning her hands with a blue cloth
Cyber criminals widen the net to target tradespeople
Red Ubuntu logo appearing on a web browser with a microscope over the logo, placing emphasis on it
Qualys discovers three bypasses of Ubuntu's unprivileged user namespace restrictions
Gold lock floating above a digitally rendered motherboard with blue and red glowing hues, denoting ransomware
Security researchers hack BlackLock ransomware gang in push back against rising threat actor
A busy customer service desk
Omnissa eyes growth with revamped partner program
Female software developer using AI coding tools on a desktop computer with light from screen reflecting in spectacles.
Developers spend 17 hours a week on security — but don't consider it a top priority
A close-up of a digital dashboard showing stock market graphs overlaid onto a world map.
Financial services firms look to AI to improve resilience
Male software engineer working on a laptop at a home office desk with two PC monitors sitting on top of desk.
‘This shift highlights not just a continuation but a broad acceptance of remote work as the norm’: Software engineers are sticking with remote work and refusing to budge on RTO mandates – and 21% would quit if forced back to the office