Microsoft expands repair efforts with Surface laptop teardown video

Usually, if you want to watch a step-by-step video on disassembling a Surface device, you’ll need to use a third-party service like iFixit. But today, the Microsoft Surface YouTube channel posted its own teardown video of the cheap, education-focused Surface Laptop SE, in which a Microsoft engineer completely disassembles the laptop (using iFixit tools, no less), describing every step along the way.

The Microsoft Surface line was notorious for being difficult to repair for years due to the widespread use of glued and soldered components. This has begun to change in recent years as Microsoft added user-replaceable SSDs and made other changes to make it easier to take apart and reassemble their machines. Maintainability is a selling point for the Surface Laptop SE, particularly because the laptop is sold in schools where laptops can be dropped, spilled, or otherwise damaged by kids, who may or may not know better.

In response to pressure from shareholders, Microsoft has promised to step up its repair efforts going forward, including expanding the availability of parts and documentation and making it easier for third-party service providers to repair. This video seems to fall under the “documentation”category, and we hope we see the same treatment with other Surface devices in the future.

Microsoft also publishes written service manuals for many Surface devices, which PC makers like Lenovo, Dell, HP, and others also do for many of their devices (Lenovo also offers an extensive video library). Apple also said it will begin providing documentation and parts for self-repair this year as part of its “Self-Repair Program,”though the program will only cover a handful of repairs for a few recent devices.