Apple only just got done introducing the new iPad at its recent education-themed event, and already the folks at iFixit have gotten hold of a unit and broken it open.
Their findings? That the device is virtually identical to last year’s iPad, albeit with a few cheaper touches like not laminating the screen. The most notable part is that, despite the new focus on the education market, the new iPad remains next to impossible to repair. Tsk, tsk!
One of the main sources of irreparability comes down to the 32.9 Wh capacity battery, which is stuck behind a “repair-impeding adhesive.” The company notes that, “Apple gave us a hopeful glimpse of easy iPad battery removal once before (with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro), but we haven’t seen anything like it since.”
The iPad’s glued glass display also makes it a bit more vulnerable to being dropped. On the plus side, although the iPad’s air-gapped digitizer panel is not as visually impressive as other recent iPads, it’s significantly cheaper to “replace cracked glass that isn’t LOCA-bonded to the display panel underneath.”
Inside the device, iFixit notes that there is an A10 Fusion processor, the same chip in the iPhone 7 series phones, with 2 GB RAM. There are also 2x Broadcom touch screen controller chips. These are the same components previously found in the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models.
No more repairable than usual
Overall, iFixit gives the iPad a 2 out of 10 for repairability. The pluses are that the LCD is easy to remove once you separate the cover glass and digitizer, and the affordability of replacing the air-gapped cover glass. On the downside, a solid barrier of strong adhesive stops you repairing the device, while replacing the battery is challenging.
Personally, we’re not enormously surprised. The new iPad offers some impressive functionality at a relatively low $329 price point.
Still, given Apple’s history in the education market, it would have been nice if the company had taken on board just how hard-wearing a device aimed at the classroom needs to be. Even if Apple’s not exactly the biggest proponent of the “Right to Repair.”
Source: iFixit
