When disassembling the MacBook Air M2, the iFixit site was surprised to come across an accelerometer, the component present in the iPhone and iPad to detect its orientation. This is the first time that a Mac is entitled to it.
Sometimes taking apart an electronic device reveals surprises. The iFixit site, which specializes in this field, has a habit of opening each new high-tech object when it is released. It is rare that he is surprised, even if he happens to come across unexpected things. It can be a new arrangement for components, the presence of inactive parts or a blank area left in one place, which can indicate that the initial plans of the mark could not be followed.
By disassembling the new MacBook Air M2 on July 19, 2022, iFixit had two nice surprises. The first concerns the lack of a passive cooling system, which means that the computer could heat up during high temperatures (we did not notice anything abnormal during our review of the MacBook Air M2). The second concerns the presence of an unused component: an accelerometer. after the screen Studio Displaythis is the second time that a device in the “Mac” category is entitled to it.
Does Apple have plans for its accelerometer?
It’s with the iPhone of 2007 that Apple has put forward an accelerometer for the first time. This component detects the orientation of a product to know if you are holding it horizontally or vertically. When the user rotates their device, the screen rotates. This is particularly practical with photos or applications compatible with both display modes. All smartphones and tablets have one today.
In an Apple computer, the presence of an accelerometer is unprecedented. They are found in some Windows PCs, but they are touch sensitive and can be used as tablets. macOS, the operating system for Macs, is designed to be used horizontally. It can display vertically on dedicated monitors, but MacBooks cannot run it natively.
As a result, one wonders what an accelerometer is doing in the MacBook Air’s motherboard. iFixit has no idea, neither do we. However, three paths are possible:
- The accelerometer is only there to detect falls and improve after-sales service.
- The accelerometer will be enabled in a future update, so that the MacBook Air’s screen will rotate if you turn it (such an update would be historic, but we don’t imagine it for a long time, Apple not having to used to reserve such changes for a small number of Macs).
- Apple has ideas, but isn’t sure how to implement them. The accelerometer can be there without ever being activated.
In the past, Apple has already added components without giving them functions (we think of the U1 chip of the iPhone, which was used for the AirTags). Can we expect the same with the MacBook Air? It’s unlikely, but the presence of this accelerometer is certainly not due to a production error.