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When it comes to enterprise hardware, reliability and repairability have always been in tension. In 2025, Macs are more expensive to repair (and more difficult) than ever before, thanks to tighter integration, solid-state components, and the steady move to custom silicon. In my experience, those repairs are happening far less often, so it begs the question: Is that a problem?
About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 1000s of Macs, and 1000s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.
The end of easily repairable Macs
Fifteen years ago, it was normal to crack open a MacBook, swap out a spinning hard drive, and double the RAM without blinking. Battery replacements were fast, and logic boards weren’t soldered in like they are now. If something broke, it was fairly easy to fix. If a hard drive failed, you replaced it with a $80 swap from Amazon. If you needed more memory, you bought it and popped it in, only needing to remove the bottom of the case.
Those days are over.
A 2025 Mac is not built for screwdriver access. Repairs can almost always exceed the cost, where it makes sense to work on it. A logic board replacement can cost as much as a brand-new laptop. From a pure repair standpoint, the numbers rarely work out to rebuy.
Reliability has never been higher
I have managed Macs in the workplace for nearly 20 years. I loved the days of easy hardware upgrades of a hard drive or swapping a top case, but I do not miss them. I would not go back. The hardware has matured to a place where, for the most part, it just works year after year as long as you do not drop it or spill something on it. That is the biggest issue now. Hardware failure is rare. Physical damage is the main cause of service tickets.
As we moved from spinning platter drives to SSDs and flash storage combined with Apple Silicon, the number of problems I have seen has dropped significantly. These machines run cooler, have fewer moving parts, and cause fewer headaches.
It’s all tradeoffs
I fully support the right-to-repair movement, but that doesn’t mean we should overlook progress on reliability. The Mac has moved into the same category as the iPhone and iPad. The hardware is rock solid. Failure rates are rounding errors unless the device suffers physical or liquid damage. Yes, Macs are harder to fix, but the reality is that they rarely need fixing. One thing I’d love never to swap/repair again is a trackpad.
In a remote-first work world, IT cannot ask the user to crack open the case or drop it off at the office if a Mac goes down. The only real solution is to drop ship a replacement and figure out the repair later. This is where reliability matters more than ever.
When Macs stay running, users stay working. When a device breaks, it often leads to lost time and logistical headaches. Even the Genius Bar repairs are not what they used to be. Most of the time, a Mac is sent to the Apple repair depot rather than being fixed on-site, which adds days to the process, even for basic issues.
Wrap up
If you skimmed, no problem. The TL;DR is that Macs have never been harder or more expensive to repair, but that’s a workable solution because reliability has never been higher. Even if the Mac was as repairable as it was in 2010, the world operates differently today. IT needs reliable Macs, and employees generally aren’t always near an office for hardware repairs.
Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.
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