I share my experience. How I did my own MacBook Air maintenance
A detailed guide for those who have decided.
The life cycle of Apple laptops is significantly longer than that of competitors. It’s hard to argue with this, especially when it comes to models released 3-4 years ago or earlier. Maximum aluminum, thoughtful ergonomics, arrangement of all elements - these are the devices that look at us from store shelves.
And somewhere in a parallel dimension there are plastic heavyweights with controversial designs, creepy accessories, but a more reasonable price tag.
Now the situation has leveled out. Brands competing with Apple have also learned to make beautiful things, and there are a number of parameters in which some laptop models are even superior to the “reference MacBook”.
But any technique sooner or later requires prevention. It's my turn to do this.
Why did I decide
Note. I deliberately left the technical part of the question, terminology and aesthetics of service centers outside the scope of this article. The result is important to any of us.
I have the top one at my disposal 2011 13-inch MacBook Air. Five years ago it was a “beast of a machine”, the processor of which (and here the i7 1.8 GHz) crushed any load to smithereens. 4 GB RAM– back then it was still a logical standard, and even today it is sufficient for all everyday tasks.
The previous owner treated this “workhorse” with due reverence, and for the last two-plus years I have been exploiting it “in its tail and mane.” During this time, the MacBook was opened once, by me. After removing a layer of dust from the cooler area (we all love to work on our knees and soft pillows), the laptop was safely closed, but this did not last long.
Problem 1: Frying pan with industrial fan
In my usual working mode, OS X runs a dozen different applications, including: a text editor, Photoshop, the Safari browser interspersed with Opera (each with 10–15 tabs), mail, five instant messengers, iTunes, a couple of Finder windows. All this works relatively stable for the first half hour. And then all hell breaks loose.
The cooler spins up to maximum (which is a good 6500 rpm), the keyboard warms up to a temperature that causes discomfort in work. Applications start playing the matrix and react with an annoying delay... It started to infuriate me - it’s impossible to work like that!
For the sake of practical interest, I install the application iStat Menus[Download] and am surprised to see the following picture.
In the above screenshot the temperature reaches 96 degrees. Let me remind you that at this moment I am not doing video editing or processing heavy files. At the moment of such a load, the temperature value crossed the mark at 105 degrees.
What does this mean?? Too high a temperature can cause failure of any element on the laptop board. The logical degradation of components begins: capacitors, resistors, crystals, and sooner or later you will simply face the premature death of the MacBook.
Repairing or replacing a motherboard is not a cheap task, so I strongly recommend periodically checking the temperature using the above utility.
Problem 2: I'll tell you how to kill your battery
Working on a large monitor is much more enjoyable. There is room for a lot of windows, you can effectively arrange your workspace, you are pleased with the realistic colors of a decent matrix (the CRT era is already in the distant past) and your eyes are not so tired. Normal people buy a Mac Mini or Mac Pro for this purpose. Our man connects a laptop via Display/Thunderbolt Port, complements this with a proprietary Apple Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, and feels like a “winner in life.”
I think you already understand who I belong to. The MacBook sits on my desktop 24 hours a day, never turns off (fortunately its power consumption is minimal) and is connected to the network adapter all this time.
After the purchase, my MacBook Air could boast of three hours of battery life. Six months of operation in the “system unit” mode and battery life was reduced to 40 minutes, and the number charge cycles exceeded 650. You can see it in the menu About This Mac -> System Report -> Charge Cycles.
On the official Apple website there is a guarantee for preservation 80% capacity after 1000 charging cycles, but apparently the company’s engineers mean a more adequate operation option.
Detailed instructions for those who decide.
Don't repeat my mistakes and treat your Mac's battery with care. I’ll tell you how to do this below.
What does this mean?? You feel constantly tied to the outlet, and you simply find it difficult to answer the question: “Do you have a laptop?”
Verdict. It has been decided that it is time for general prevention. The first item on the list is replacing thermal paste on the processor with all the resulting dust removal. Second - battery replacement.
Service center? No, I'm on my own
The computer services industry today is well developed. One call and a service center representative will come for your Mac, pick it up, then within 24 hours they will do a “full maintenance” and deliver it back. There are a lot of scenario options here and you can always find a company or specialist who will make your MacBook “like new.” The question is - how high quality?
Yes, many people do just that – they take it to the center and let them sort it out. As a person who is interested in technology, technology and especially everything related to Apple, I became interested do everything yourself.
My readers will now be divided into two groups: those who will say: “What’s the heroism in this - an hour of work and everything is ready” and those who will twist it at their temples and say: “Well, come on, you’ll do it crooked anyway. We need a specialist in this matter.” I think there will be a third category that will support my desire to go where I’m not supposed to.
Buying a battery and thermal paste
So I need new battery for MacBook Air 13'' 2011 and thermal paste. Apart from rumors and beliefs that there are fakes everywhere and the original does not exist (and there is some truth in this), I have nothing to present to the market in the battery issue. With thermal paste, everything is solved easier and according to the principle “let the forums help me.”
The first and most important thing is to find out what The battery model is installed specifically in your MacBook. Information can be easily found on the Internet by indicating the exact model name and year of manufacture (don’t forget about the screen diagonal), but it’s best to see the required serial number with your own eyes.
In order to open the MacBook, we need a non-standard (for other household appliances) screwdriver format Torx T5 or "asterisk".
Ideally, you need to have two screwdrivers at once: T5 to open the laptop lid and T4 to remove the internal screws that hold the battery, cooler and radiator in place. This way, the mounting screws will not experience wear from the wrong screwdriver format.
Using a T5 screwdriver, carefully remove the 10 screws:
The two center top screws are longer than the other 8 screws - don't forget this when reassembling.
Now we determine the battery model.
The MacBook Air 13'' 2011 model has a battery number A1405. And then it’s a matter of technology - look for the most suitable store on the Internet and order the model you need. Finding “100% original” is more like a myth, so take the Chinese markings and hieroglyphs on the battery calmly. In the end, your MacBook proudly bears the inscription on the back of the case: Made in China.
Regarding thermal paste. There are many decent options on the market:
- Glacial Stars Ice Therm I
- Arctic Cooling MX-2
- DEEPCOOL Z3
- Arctic Silver Ceramique 2
- Cooler Master IC Essential E1
- KPT-8 is, after all, quite good
If you wish, you can engage in a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of each of the pastes proposed above. Personally, I didn’t have time for a thorough study - work stopped, and the open Mac was waiting for surgery.
My choice fell on Cooler Master IC Essential E1 for several reasons at once. Firstly, it is slightly cheaper than the much-hyped Zalman, and secondly, according to numerous reviews, it does an excellent job of cooling.
Finally, you buy a complete kit for applying the paste yourself: the tube itself with the “saving substance”, an alcohol wipe and a spatula for leveling the paste layer on the processor. The price of the issue is about 600 rubles, but the volume of the tube is enough for a dozen or two processors.
Changing the battery
Everything you need for prevention is on hand. Torx T4/T5 screwdriver, new battery, thermal paste, hands and complete concentration.
The only thing that is not in the photo is a wooden stick or toothpick for disconnecting the cables. In no case Do not use a metal screwdriver for this.
Immediately before starting work disconnect the cable leading to the battery.
Unscrew the screws around the perimeter of the battery. Don’t be too lazy to take an A4 sheet and schematically sketch the location of each screw. They have different lengths and threads, and when reassembling there is a risk of screwing something in the wrong place, thereby piercing the body of the device.
I did this:
To disassemble you need to unscrew exactly five screws, using a Torx T4 screwdriver.
When removing the battery, be extremely careful and try to hold it on all sides at once. The battery may break under its own weight.
The original and the newly purchased “100% original” are no different from each other.
The only thing that catches your eye is the absence of a plastic tail on the purchased battery for removal.
It’s not critical, we’ll survive.
We install the new battery in place and fix it with screws, according to our diagram. Each screw has its place. Try not to use force; a moderate turn of the screwdriver is enough.
After installing the battery we do not connect the cable, because the most labor-intensive part of prevention lies ahead - replacing thermal paste.
Changing thermal paste
Using a toothpick, carefully pry up the cable located above the cooler. It is glued to the cooler body, so it will take a little effort to tear it off.
Again, use a toothpick to disconnect the miniature cooler cable by gently lifting the tab and pulling it out.
Now, using the same Torx T4 screwdriver, unscrew the three screws holding the cooler and carefully remove it.
Let's move on to removing the radiator. There are already four screws waiting for us. Try to remember the force that had to be applied to break them - when reassembling you will need to tighten the screws in the same way.
After you unscrew the 4 screws, do not remove the radiator. It is fixed in one more and very problematic part.
Near the cooler, in the very corner, there is dangerous area– a miniature wiring, under which there is a screw fixing the cooler.
Carefully move the wire to the side and remove the screw. The main thing is not to damage anything. Remove the radiator by shaking it from side to side and releasing the rubber seal.
While unscrewing the screws, make another schematic drawing of their location. It is important! The screws are different from each other.
Use a can of compressed air or a syringe to get rid of dust accumulated on the radiator grille. Of course, the same should be done with the cooler.
Access to the processor crystal is guaranteed!
Yes, what was left of the factory thermal paste could not save the MacBook from overheating. It has dried out and does not provide proper thermal dissipation.
Using a cotton pad and alcohol, carefully wipe the processor (until a mirror shine) and the radiator.
We have come to the most crucial moment - applying thermal paste. Faced with replacing paste on their own, many users encounter the following problem: what is the optimal amount of thermal paste to apply??
To understand why thermal paste is needed, look at this picture:
The purpose of replacing thermal paste is to ensure smoothing and filling microcracks on the surface of the processor and heatsink. It is not needed to be a layer between them. Therefore, with the approach: “I’ll put more - I’ll cool it better,” you’ll only make things worse. The thermal paste will dry out very quickly and cease to perform its function, losing the necessary physical properties.
You need to spread the paste in a thin layer over the entire surface of the processor. Approximately this amount:
Then, using a spatula, smooth out the thermal paste.
When everything is ready, do not rush to install the radiator right away. Try on its location and pay special attention to the rubber seal. It should fit into the groove on the motherboard.
Only then can you install the radiator correctly. Be careful when screwing in the corner screw (where the dangerous wire is). Do not over-tighten the screws, doing this gradually on each side.
When installing the battery, make sure that the barely noticeable groove on the plug snaps into place.
Close the back metal cover and tighten ten screws around the perimeter.
Assembly complete!
The effect of replacing thermal paste, battery and some tips
Having done everything described above, I independently performed preventative maintenance on my beloved MacBook Air. But the question that worried me even before starting all this was the effectiveness of the event.
I'm telling you.
Thermal paste. Before replacing the thermal paste, the laptop temperature rarely dropped below 95–100 degrees. The cooler worked at full capacity even when I refused to launch applications, and the temperature to which the case heated made work impossible.
You type the text in the editor - 92-94 degrees, launch Safari - everything is the same. You open Final Cut and the 105 degree mark is reached. The cooler works, but it is of no use. It didn't cool!
Replacing the thermal paste and cleaning the cooler worked like magic. He stopped making noise! When running heavy applications, the MacBook instantly heats up, the cooler slowly spins up, and within a minute it drops. And the temperature readings now look like this:
- Working in Final Cut Pro X (video editing) – 94–97 degrees
- Surfing, music, instant messengers, Photoshop – 70–80 degrees
- Working in a text editor – 40–45 degrees.
The temperature in the room is a hot summer day, about 23–25 degrees.
I have NEVER seen the latter indicator on my MacBook Air. Working in complete silence is a real pleasure. Nothing distracts you, pesters you or annoys you. Was the game worth the candle? Definitely!
Battery. 40 minutes is the maximum I could afford without an outlet. After switching on, the new battery was 52% charged. We have all heard about calibration, which is associated with constant controversy and speculation.
You NEED to calibrate the battery. Of course, if you are interested in its adequate further work. What I did after the first turn on:
- Immediately connected the power adapter and charged the battery to 100%
- Discharged to 10% and recharged to 100%
- Repeated the cycle 3 times
That's it, that's enough. Don't be surprised if the program iStat Menu will constantly show different values of battery capacity and health. This is normal until the battery becomes weak, and this may require about 20–25 discharge/charge cycles.
When using the battery, try to operate in 20-100% mode. Don't let your battery run out of charge, and stop working after your Mac notifies you that critical charge. Try to remove your MacBook immediately after it is 100% charged. This way you won't have to worry about battery life or battery degradation for several years.
Of course, this is just a recommendation. Modern batteries (and even more so from Apple) are equipped with the necessary protection controllers and provide maximum service life without unnecessary “dancing with a tambourine.” Apple technology is designed for comfort, and it’s up to you to follow the operating instructions or not.
While finishing this article, my Mac promises to last another 4 hours and 15 minutes. The number of full charge cycles is 7. The temperature indicator is 46 degrees (I work on my knees). The cooler's rotation speed is a minimum of 2000 rpm, but it feels like it's not working at all.
(4.75 out of 5, rated: 4 )
The need to disassemble a MacBook most often arises when it breaks or the device needs to be cleaned. If the MacBook was purchased recently and is under warranty, then it is better to use the services of a service center specialist to perform the operation; however, if the manufacturer’s warranty expires, it is much cheaper and more profitable to repair the expensive MacBook yourself. It is worth noting that if the device is under warranty, even one unscrewed screw on the device body can deprive the consumer of privileges. Treat this very carefully so that there are no problems with the manufacturer in the future.
If you need to disassemble your Mac for cleaning or repair, we'll tell you how
Although the MacBook from Apple is considered a unique development in computer technology, it has a stylish design, is characterized by a very thin and original appearance, an ordinary person with even minor knowledge of the technological features of devices can disassemble and clean it.
As people say, the eyes are afraid, but the hands do. At first glance, it’s even scary to touch a fragile and delicate device again without a visible need. However, like any other computer equipment, Apple MacBooks can be disassembled using a set of tools and repair tools. The only difference is the need to purchase special screwdrivers for disassembling computer equipment and a plastic spatula, which is required for careful disassembly of the cases, since the elements in them are characterized by miniature size.
Despite the number of MacBook models produced by Apple, the technology for disassembling devices is practically no different; only elementary differences are different in the form of the number of bolts, their location and configuration.
Let's look at the technology for disassembling devices using the example of the popular laptop models MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, produced in 2006 and 2008, respectively, which are prominent representatives of the sixth and fifth generations of the line.
How to disassemble MacBook Pro 13
To disassemble the MacBook Pro 13, you must begin by removing the bottom panel of the laptop. To do this, you need to turn the device upside down and unscrew the eight miniature screws that hold it in place.
After removing the cover, the owner will see the internal contents of his MacBook. Next you need to pull out the battery, to remove which you will need to unscrew two more screws. To remove them you need an unusual three-sided screwdriver. After this, you can remove the battery by first disconnecting the connector from the motherboard.
To dismantle and clean the fan, you must first remove the optical drive. Next, you need to unscrew the three screws that hold the fan in the MacBook Pro case with a regular screwdriver, after first disconnecting the wire that goes from the fan to the laptop’s motherboard. The fan needs to be cleaned very thoroughly before reinstalling it.
Next, you need to disconnect the wire that goes from the monitor to the board and unscrew the seven screws securing the motherboard and two to disconnect the connector for connecting an external battery. It is not necessary to remove the RAM to clean the laptop, so there is no point in removing it.
Next, in order to completely disassemble the MacBook Pro 13, you will need to disconnect the cables that go to the touchpad and keyboard, and also disconnect the battery indicator. Additionally, you will have to dismantle the plastic fastening of the signal cable from the display and remove the microphone, which is located in a special recessed socket. After these operations, you can carefully and effortlessly pull out the MacBook Pro 13 motherboard. The laptop radiator and the remaining elements of the cooling system are removed along with the board. Turning the board over, you can see the heatsink itself. Disconnect it from the common unit by unscrewing the four screws.
Assembly is carried out in reverse order
At this point, disassembling the laptop can be considered complete. All that remains is to clean all the elements of the system, replace parts that have become unusable, if any, and reassemble everything in the reverse order. Experts also advise that before assembling the MacBook Pro, treat standard areas with special thermal paste, which has a beneficial effect on the laptop’s cooling system and the service life of the unit’s parts.
How to disassemble a MacBook Air
As already mentioned, disassembling different models of Apple laptops does not have significant differences. To disassemble the MacBook Air, as in the previous case, you must begin by removing the back panel of the device. To do this, the owner will need a rare five-sided screwdriver, with which you can unscrew the eight mounting screws.
Despite the significant similarity of the models under consideration, the internal space of the modules is significantly different. Most of the case space is occupied by a super-thin battery, which must be removed by unscrewing several screws with the same five-blade screwdriver.
The next step is to remove the speakers. The MacBook Air is equipped with powerful speakers, which must be removed using a special plastic spatula designed to work with very sensitive microelements and microcircuits.
Next, you need to sequentially remove the fan, microphone, motherboard and radiator of the laptop cooling system. Disassembling the MacBook Air is not difficult; the activity is similar to the previous option. The only difference is the need for a torx screwdriver - without it it is almost impossible to unscrew the mounting screws on the laptop.
After cleaning the boards, laptop cooling elements and fan, all module parts are assembled in the reverse order. Assembling and disassembling a laptop is not particularly difficult; the main thing is to treat the work responsibly and not lose small parts and screws during maintenance work. For this purpose, specialists very often use magnetic boards. When you stack small metal elements on such a board, they will not get lost around the room.
After assembly, all that remains is to check the functionality of the device. If the work was done correctly, all elements are securely installed in their original places, then the laptop will function without hitches or malfunctions.
Let's sum it up
Experts advise performing preventive cleaning of your MacBook at least once a year. With contamination of the cooling system and internal microcircuits, the MacBook begins to regularly overheat, slow down and even freeze. And if during the warranty period for this procedure you just need to contact the service center and the professionals will do everything for you, then after the end of the warranty period you will have to pay a tidy sum out of your pocket for such services.
Following the recommendations in this article, a person who is related to technology and understands the technology of functioning of system elements will be able to independently, without the help of specialists, cope with the task, disassemble the device and carry out preventative cleaning of the MacBook. The main thing is to take your work responsibly - and you will succeed.
Track down a number of hardware problems using the MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Troubleshooting Guide.
There are a number of components in the MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Early 2011 that can be cost effectively upgraded.
- Memory: The MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Early 2011 comes with 4 GB RAM standard, and accepts a maximum of 16 GB. If your MacBook Pro is still running with only the stock RAM, upgrading will provide a dramatic performance boost. You can upgrade to any combination of two 4 GB or 8 GB modules for 8, 12, or 16 GB of total RAM.
- Hard Drive: 320 or 500 GB hard drives came standard with the Early 2011 MacBook Pro 13" Unibody. You can easily upgrade the drive to 750 GB , 1 TB or a lightning-fast solid state drive . For a full list of available upgrade, options check out our selection of MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Early 2011 hard drives. Be advised, at the moment you need to use a piece of software to enable trim, called Trim Enabler—this involves some risk.
- Additional Storage: With the growing popularity of flash memory and cloud storage, you may find yourself rarely using the SuperDrive in your MacBook Pro. The optical drive can easily be replaced with a second hard drive or SSD using an optical bay hard drive enclosure . When installed, your additional hard drive will mount on your desktop just like an external hard drive.
- Battery: The battery is certainly replaceable, even though Apple doesn"t consider it to be "user serviceable." See the Battery Replacement guide above for complete replacement information.
The MacBook Pro 13" Unibody is clearly differentiated from other MacBook Pros by its smaller size. However, it does resemble its larger siblings, the MacBook Pro 15" Unibody and the MacBook Pro 17" Unibody.
Use the laptop identification system to help you identify your machine. MacBook Pros tend to look very similar, and it's important to know which machine you have before ordering any replacement parts.
- 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors
- 320GB or 500GB Hard drive or 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB SSD
Processor
- 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with 3MB shared L3 cache or 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache
- 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory
Wireless Connectivity
- 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible
- Bluetooth 2.1 wireless technology
Graphics and Video
- Intel HD Graphics 3000
- FaceTime HD camera
- Thunderbolt port
- MagSafe power port
- Gigabit Ethernet port
- FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps)
- Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)
- Thunderbolt port (up to 10 Gbps)
- Audio in/out
- SDXC card slot
- Kensington lock slot
Fair, not overpriced and not underestimated. There should be prices on the Service website. Necessarily! without asterisks, clear and detailed, where technically possible - as accurate and concise as possible.
If spare parts are available, up to 85% of complex repairs can be completed in 1-2 days. Modular repairs require much less time. The website shows the approximate duration of any repair.
Warranty and responsibility
A guarantee must be given for any repairs. Everything is described on the website and in the documents. The guarantee is self-confidence and respect for you. A 3-6 month warranty is good and sufficient. It is needed to check quality and hidden defects that cannot be detected immediately. You see honest and realistic terms (not 3 years), you can be sure that they will help you.
Half the success in Apple repair is the quality and reliability of spare parts, so a good service works directly with suppliers, there are always several reliable channels and your own warehouse with proven spare parts for current models, so you don’t have to waste extra time.
Free diagnostics
This is very important and has already become a rule of good manners for the service center. Diagnostics is the most difficult and important part of the repair, but you don't have to pay a penny for it, even if you don't repair the device based on its results.
Service repairs and delivery
A good service values your time, so it offers free delivery. And for the same reason, repairs are carried out only in the workshop of a service center: they can be done correctly and according to technology only in a prepared place.
Convenient schedule
If the Service works for you, and not for itself, then it is always open! absolutely. The schedule should be convenient to fit in before and after work. Good service works on weekends and holidays. We are waiting for you and working on your devices every day: 9:00 - 21:00
The reputation of professionals consists of several points
Company age and experience
Reliable and experienced service has been known for a long time.
If a company has been on the market for many years and has managed to establish itself as an expert, people turn to it, write about it, and recommend it. We know what we are talking about, since 98% of incoming devices in the service center are restored.
Other service centers trust us and refer complex cases to us.
How many masters in areas
If there are always several engineers waiting for you for each type of equipment, you can be sure:
1. there will be no queue (or it will be minimal) - your device will be taken care of right away.
2. you give your Macbook for repair to an expert in the field of Mac repairs. He knows all the secrets of these devices
Technical literacy
If you ask a question, a specialist should answer it as accurately as possible.
So that you can imagine what exactly you need.
They will try to solve the problem. In most cases, from the description you can understand what happened and how to fix the problem.
With a 13-inch display, de facto the younger brother of the 15-inch. It is noteworthy that this time the guys invited a special guest to the operating room - a kitten.
The patient himself, when closed, is difficult to distinguish from his older brother, and when open, it is difficult to distinguish him by the grilles for the speakers that are missing on the sides.
Top - MacBook Pro Retina 13, bottom - MacBook Pro 13
Exciting moment - opening the “hood”
Doesn't remind you of anything? Yes, this is robot Number 5 from the movie “Short Circuit”!
We take out the SSD.
iFixit is surprised by this decision, because a full-fledged 2.5-inch SSD with a thickness of 5-7 mm can easily fit into the same space.
As expected, the bare SSD is made by Koreans.
Flash memory with a total capacity of 256 GB is marked in yellow, and the purpose of the remaining parts was not explained, but oh well.
Next comes a Wi-Fi module with support for the AirPort protocol.
By the way, the 15-inch “retina” MacBook Pro has exactly the same module.
The holy of holies is the motherboard.
Red – dual-core Intel Core i5-3210M processor at 2.5 GHz (integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 and auto-overclocking to 3.1 GHz), orange – 8 GB Hynix RAM, yellow – Intel QS77 chipset, turquoise – controller for the Thunderbolt interface.
The orange one is just the reverse part of the RAM, the purple one is the Cirrus audio controller, the rest - their purpose is unclear.
This is what the MagSafe 2 power connector looks like.
Wow! Six battery packs!
Unlike the 15-inch, the 13-inch battery is much easier to remove.
Broadcom controller, the same as in the iPhone 5. Interesting...
Actually the touchpad.
Summa summarum, maintainability rating - 2 out of 10. Not the best result, but the older brother is an even bigger disgrace with his one point. iFixit has complaints about choosing a non-standard SSD, since it requires a separate cable. RAM is only 8 GB without the option of choosing a 16 GB version. The display is glued to the glass and if during disassembly, God forbid, something inside breaks, then the entire expensive screen part can be thrown into the trash.