There's a wealth of tech crammed inside the irreparable Apple Pencil

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,240   +192
Staff member

Apple Pencil, the must-have accessory for iPad Pro owners interested in annotation or drawing, packs an incredible amount of technology given its slim profile as iFixit recently discovered. Unfortunately, that also means it’s virtually impossible to repair.

The first step in the disassembly process is to remove the Lightning Connector, which surprisingly enough isn’t called the eraser given its location. Freeing the connector came at the expense of a torn flex cable, foreshadowing the bumpy road ahead.

With both ends removed, it quickly became apparent that there was no way to get at the internals without bringing out the big guns: the Dremel. Cutting the plastic off revealed a metal cylinder with a small screw although more cutting and prying were needed to reach what iFixit described as a folded logic board. The team said it was the tiniest they'd ever seen, tipping the scales at a single gram.

The design is actually quite clever given the limited real estate Apple had to work with although if you hadn’t already figured out by this point, there’s really no repairing possible here. It goes without saying that the tiny 3.82v, 0.329Wh battery is also impossible to replace.

All things considered, the Apple Pencil earned a repairability score of one out of 10 (the higher the number, the easier it is to repair). Although the pen nib and back cap can be replaced if worn or lost, that’s really all you can do as it’s clear Apple never intended anyone to open its stylus. That also means that when the battery eventually dies, your $99 investment goes down the drain with it.

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Although the pen nib and back cap can be replaced if worn or lost, that’s really all you can do as it’s clear Apple never intended anyone to open its stylus.

"It's NOT a stylus!!!"
-Steve
 
Shouldn't have a 0 score if you can not repair it?1 point must be for something extremely hard to repair or only few parts from it can be repaired.
 
Shouldn't have a 0 score if you can not repair it?1 point must be for something extremely hard to repair or only few parts from it can be repaired.

"Although the pen nib and back cap can be replaced if worn or lost, that’s really all you can do as it’s clear Apple never intended anyone to open it's stylus."
 
That repair score is really going to hurt when you walk by and snap your pencil off while it's charging. I don't know who came up with the idea for it's charging method but it's horrid.
 
"Although the pen nib and back cap can be replaced if worn or lost, that’s really all you can do as it’s clear Apple never intended anyone to open it's stylus."
Surface book has 1/10 and you can change ssd and battery. I'm pretty sure that a broken/lost cap can't make the pen stop working. But who am I to judge?Got to trust the experts.
 
A $99 stylus?! WTF are they smoking over at Apple?
Supply and demand bro! If people are stupid enough to pay exorbitant prices for whatever iJunk Apple throws their way, then why not? It probably costs them under $10 to build this thing. Mmmm profit margins! Delicious!
 
My stylus came with my phone, is easily stored and has infinite battery life. It didnt really cost me anything and replacements are $25 MAX. :D
 
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