MacBook Air: Don't try this at home

Sure, when it comes to computers and other electronics Apple Inc. is known for its industrial design. But sometimes it's the look of what's under the hood that piques your interest. 

First, you have to open the hood.

In this case, the folks at iFixit have almost certainly voided the Apple warranty by dissecting a new MacBack Air. But warranty issues weren't the topic at hand anyway; they wanted to see how Apple managed to cram all that hardware in such a slender chassis. You'll note, for instance, that the front bezel of the screen isn't screwed to the screen, it's taped. And you'll find out that that screen weighs in at about a pound -- a third the MacBook Air's total weight.

As someone who has, with much trepidation, ripped open a PowerBook -- back then it was one of the early 17-inchers -- to swap in a hard drive, I can attest to the fact that it's something akin to brain surgery. So I'm content now to let others do the dirty work and share pictures for me -- and you -- to enjoy.

So if you really want to know where the lone MacBook Air speaker is hidden (beneath the arrow keys) or what kind of heat sink Apple uses to cool its latest laptop, iFixit's takeapart can show you. (I wondered about both when using the MacBook Air for my recent review.)

You won't endanger your warranty and you don't even have to find that #00 Phillips screwdriver you left lying around somewhere to see what's inside. But you will be impressed by the engineering needed to make the MacBook Air fly.