If you break a speaker on a recent MacBook Pro that does not have AppleCare, you have two choices. You can put up with it, or you can pay the unnecessarily high repair cost of Apple replacing the entire top case.

This case, which includes the battery, keyboard, and other expensive components, will cost hundreds of dollars to repair. In fact, The Verge examined the price list for self-repair parts for MacBooks in 2022 and found that the top case would cost between $527.12 and $615.12.

However, Apple appears to be changing the way it operates, and speaker repairs are likely to be much cheaper, at least for 2024 models.

In a memo sent to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, seen by MacRumors, the company said it will offer speakers as individual repair parts for its latest hardware, namely the 14-inch and 16-inch M4 MacBook Pro series The memo states This is the first time since 2015 that Apple will offer individual speaker replacements for the MacBook Pro.

And it may not stop there. An update added to this post later quotes “reliable sources” as saying that Apple will provide technicians with individual speaker parts for every Apple Silicon MacBook Pro dating back to the earliest M1 Pro and M1 Max models.

The repairs are also not likely to be limited to Apple Stores or affiliated repair stores; according to MacRumors, Apple has already published a speaker repair guide for the M4 MacBook Pro on its site, and eventually, through self-service repair stores, spare There are strong indications that speaker parts will be available (though this may only be for recent M4 computers).

However, this is not a task for the faint of heart. Removing the existing speaker requires cutting away the adhesive underneath with Kevlar thread, which, as the guide notes, is dangerously close to both the battery and the logic board. The replacement speaker comes with a cover for the battery, but even so, it is clearly not a beginner's repair.

But whether you do it yourself or get professional help, the good news is that the price is the lowest it's been in years, and while continuing to pay for AppleCare is still for peace of mind, it's good to know that if the speaker is out of warranty, there's no way to get out of it. It's good to know.