Joe Rossignol
For the first time in nearly a decade, Apple can repair individual MacBook Pro speakers without replacing other components.
In a memo sent to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers this week, Apple said it is offering the speakers as standalone replacement parts for the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips. This is the first time Apple has made individual MacBook Pro speaker parts available since 2015.
For all MacBook Pro models released between 2016 and 2023, Apple will replace the entire “top case” with the battery and other components to repair the speakers. This causes out-of-warranty speaker repairs to cost hundreds of dollars more than they should, so standalone speaker parts will make these repairs much more affordable.
Even better, speaker parts won’t be limited to technicians at the Genius Bar and Apple Authorized Service Providers. Apple has already shared speaker repair guides for the new MacBook Pro models on its website, so it should soon make standalone speaker parts available to order through its self-service repair store.
The repair procedure is fairly complex, involving Kevlar thread, speaker mounting caps, and a disposable battery cover, so the average customer will likely want to rely on an experienced technician to make sure everything is done correctly. Luckily, those who choose this route should pay much less than before.
Update: According to a reliable source, Apple is now giving technicians access to individual speaker parts for ALL 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple Silicon chips, going back to models with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. It is not yet known whether these parts for older models will be added to the self-service store.
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