iFixit dismantles the iPad Pro, awards it a sub-par repairability score

[Shawn Knight]

No sooner did Apple put its new iPad Pro on sale that iFixit got to work dismantling it in the name of repairability.

The first order of business was to get inside the iPad Pro, a process that required some opening tools, a heavy-duty suction cup and some heat to loosen up the adhesive. Under the hood, the team discovered the logic board is situated in the center of the tablet which meant holding the display up while working to remove it.

Another key difference between this new slate and previous models is the fact that Apple has dedicated a lot of room to the four speaker enclosures. iFixit estimates that the speaker system comes at the cost of a potential 50 percent increase to battery capacity. Ouch.

Digging deeper, it appears as though the camera module used in the iPad Pro (does a tablet of this nature really even need a rear camera?) is the same as the one found in the iPad Air 2. And in an iPad first, the logic board EMI shielding had to be removed to get at the logic board itself as there are a lot of cable connectors underneath it.

Apple is pretty serious about the speaker system as they’ve created chambers for each one, machined directly into the iPad Pro’s aluminum enclosure. As anyone that’s ever worked with car audio can attest to, a properly-designed speaker chamber is paramount when it comes to getting the best sound possible.

The team was in for another surprise when it reached the batteries as Apple used adhesive pull tabs that make removal much easier. The battery itself – or, I should say, the two batteries combined – add up to 38.3Wh and 10,307mAh.

All things considered, iFixit awarded the iPad Pro a repairability score of three out of 10 (the higher the number, the easier it is to repair). The slate earned praise for the aforementioned battery tabs as well as the fact that the LCD panel and front panel glass are fused together, thus simplifying the opening procedure. Unfortunately, that also increases the cost of screen repair. The liberal use of adhesive throughout also didn’t help matters.

All images courtesy iFixit

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https://www.techspot.com/news/62753-ifixit-dismantles-ipad-pro-awards-sub-par-repairability.html

 

[davislane1]

I can't be the only one who thinks that iDevices should have their own category of reparability.

Reparability score: Apple - Can't fix it.

 

[Mandark]

You are not. These stories are so tedious and boring. It's a very small device... how repairable do they think it can be made?

 

[Camikazi]

You are not. These stories are so tedious and boring. It's a very small device... how repairable do they think it can be made?

According to a lot of people, who have no clue how anything works, they should be easily repairable.

 

[yRaz]

You are not. These stories are so tedious and boring. It's a very small device... how repairable do they think it can be made?

As someone who makes extra cash on the side repairing smartphones and tablets, I am very thankful for the service that iFixit is providing. They give me an idea of what I have to do without just jumping in and figuring it all out for myself. When I was younger that kind of thing was fun but now it's just extra work.

 

[DelJo63]

According to a lot of people, who have no clue how anything works, they should be easily repairable.

And yet can't change the oil on the automobiles

 

[Mandark]

As someone who makes extra cash on the side repairing smartphones and tablets, I am very thankful for the service that iFixit is providing. They give me an idea of what I have to do without just jumping in and figuring it all out for myself. When I was younger that kind of thing was fun but now it's just extra work.

I didn't think people actually fixed these things, but kudos to you who can. I'm a code writer myself.