Apple recently introduced a new 9.7-inch version of its iPad, and as is customary these days, the tablet’s been pulled apart in the name of helping the consumer.
Yes, the teardown specialists over at iFixit have got their hands on the new iPad, and taken it to bits to see just how repairable the device is.
And, as it turns out, it’s not very repairable at all. In fact, the site gave the new iPad a repairability score of just 2/10 – the same score given to the previous iPad Air 2.
Related: New iPad 2017 (9.7-inch)
So, why was this latest iPad incarnation given such poor marks? Well, as the site explains in its detailed teardown, the whole thing is really hard to get apart.
First of all, the front panel of the device is glued to the rest of the body, making it incredibly difficult to remove without cracking the glass.
In fact, Apple’s shoved a load of glue in the new iPad, with iFixit noting that “gobs of adhesive hold everything in place,”. making removing the battery incredibly difficult.
That was the case with previous iPads, especially the iPad Air 1, which also made things incredibly hard when it came to battery removal.
And Apple hasn’t limited itself to just one form of adhesive; “foam sticky tape” holds the LCD to the front panel, which means anyone trying to disassemble the thing is running the very real risk of shattering the LCD.
On the plus side, iFixit says that LCD is quite easy to remove once you get the front panel off the iPad itself, and the battery isn’t soldered to the logic board.
The team also found out exactly what Apple had stuffed inside in terms of hardware once they’d pried apart the tablet.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the new iPad runs on just 2GB of RAM, which is 1GB less than the iPhone 7 Plus. There’s also the third-gen 64-bit A9 processor, along with the 32.9Wh battery.
It seems Apple isn’t in a rush to make its products more repairable, then, so if you like tinkering with your tablets, this probably isn’t the ideal slate for you.
Let us know what you make of the teardown in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
