It was a slow and tedious process, but we removed the battery—sans puncture.

The task took us roughly 15 minutes to complete, without the use of a heat gun. All we needed was a Torx screwdriver and three spudgers.

In contrast, it took us three attempts to successfully remove the 15" Retina's battery without puncturing it, and the third attempt took over half an hour to perform.

Yet, EPEAT lab investigators reported the time required for the MacBook Pro 15" Retina battery removal was under 2.5 minutes, cited that the operation could be conducted “easily and safely,” and gave the laptop its Gold rating.

We certainly disagreed with that notion, given it was the least repairable computer we've ever encountered.

The 13" Retina battery is a step in the right direction towards recyclability and repairability, but it's still a far cry from the no-adhesive MacBook Pro batteries of yesteryear.