Second generation iPad mini with Retina display gets the teardown treatment

[Shawn Knight]

Apple’s second generation iPad mini with Retina display is the latest gadget to find its way to the operating table of teardown specialist iFixit. And much like the iPad Air before it, the new mini earns a poor repairability score of 2 out of 10 (10 being the easiest to fix).

We’ll start with the positives this time around. The teardown team found the LCD and glass are not fused together and can be replaced independently. What’s more, the battery is not soldered to the logic board or other components – another positive. But that’s pretty much where the good news ends.

As with previous iPads, the second coming of the mini is held together with copious amounts of sticky adhesive. This is no longer a surprise really but it still makes repair extremely difficult. Once inside, we find a hulking 3.75V, 24.3 Whr, 6471mAh battery that’s much larger than the 16.3 Whr unit found in last year’s model. It’s likely necessary to retain the same 10 hour battery claims now that a higher resolution display is in play.

Elsewhere, iFixit found the Lightning connector soldered to the logic board. A word of caution here: don’t bend the pins when manipulating it. There are also multiple very small screws that could become easily misplaced during disassembly and the presence of some hidden screws means you’ll need to be extra diligent when attempting to remove internal components.

With such a low repairability score, you’ll likely be best to leave any major repairs to the professionals as to not cause any further damage.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/54678-second-generation-ipad-mini-with-retina-display-gets-the-teardown-treatment.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

These things aren't meant to be taken apart and even if you do manage to strip it without breaking anything, who's gonna sell you a replacement of the faulty part anyway?
I noticed the folk who take these things apart call themselves iFixit but can or do they really fix it? Maybe they should call themselves iBreakitapart or maybe iDoubtitwillworkagain.

 

[Jad Chaar]

These things aren't meant to be taken apart and even if you do manage to strip it without breaking anything, who's gonna sell you a replacement of the faulty part anyway?
I noticed the folk who take these things apart call themselves iFixit but can or do they really fix it? Maybe they should call themselves iBreakitapart or maybe iDoubtitwillworkagain.

Hahaha, this made my day.

 

[Camikazi]

These things aren't meant to be taken apart and even if you do manage to strip it without breaking anything, who's gonna sell you a replacement of the faulty part anyway?
I noticed the folk who take these things apart call themselves iFixit but can or do they really fix it? Maybe they should call themselves iBreakitapart or maybe iDoubtitwillworkagain.

They do this because their entire thing is selling parts and the tools to fix these devices. This is why they tear down everything and publish it cause they want to sell more tools so they can make more money. They know very well most all of these were not meant to be taken apart and that it will instantly kill any warranty every imagined but they want to sell things.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

They do this because their entire thing is selling parts and the tools to fix these devices. This is why they tear down everything and publish it cause they want to sell more tools so they can make more money. They know very well most all of these were not meant to be taken apart and that it will instantly kill any warranty every imagined but they want to sell things.

Oh. I though they did this just to keep us amused.

 

[avoidz]

I find it interesting to see these teardowns because as a child I used to love taking apart my electronic toys, digital watches and other things to see what was inside. Most of them never worked properly again.