Chosen Solution
What is the most repairable Apple Mac (desktop or laptop) ever made?
Easiest Mac laptop: PB G3 Pismo Hardest Mac Laptop: PB G4 Alu 12" Second easiest laptop: White Macbook 1181 Easiest Mac towers: G3 & G4 flip door models Hardest all in one models: eMacs
The PowerMac G4 is probably the easiest Mac to repair. The iBook G3/G4 is probably the most difficult.
The easiest recent Apple machine to take apart / assemble is the original MacBook 13" or the iMac G5 without iSight camera (my opinion). If you like it the harder way choose a 12" PowerBook G4 or a iBook G3/G4 white ;-)
In my opinion it was the Powerbook G3 “Pismo”. A really great machine that was easily upgraded or repaired.
I had my fewest repairs on the Power PC 6100/60, it took lightning to damage that machine.
I would have to agree with remacberlin and maybe it is just because I have taken so many of these apart, but MacBooks model A1181 are easy to take apart and repair. In terms of least repairable, I despise taking apart/fixing the PowerBook G4 12".
As far as accessibility to the most internals with the least steps I feel it is the Unibody line. Of course this is with access to all necessary screw bits.
Easiest Mac laptop for me is MacBook Pro 15’ mid 2009. Mac mini G4 models also.
The Macintosh Portable is the easiest to open and access it’s internal parts. On the desktop line, some modeles like the PowerMac 7500 is really easy to open too.
I’ve worked on dozens of Macs from all eras. The easiest to me are the old desktop and pizza box Macs. You can ‘field strip’ a Macintosh IIci without any tools and there’s plenty of room to work. The most difficult has been the Mac mini of a couple generations ago (the ones with the white top) and replacing the hard disk in an iBook G4. eMacs are real challenges too.
IIcx & IIci One screw.
I think that the easiest to repair and work on is the mid 2008 macbook pro 15" pre unibody.
Macbook Pro retina has 1/10 score… everything is soldered or custom shape. Not to mention battery is glued to the case. You open it up have a look.. that’s it.. not much to replace. ps. How is this “green” to apple? you have to throw away almost the wahole computer if one part goes bad.
