iFixit opens iPad Pro and shows repair improvement

Apple recently presented its newest versions of important devices in the company’s portfolio, and they all offer a more elegant and high-performance design. One of them was the new iPad Pro, which is no exception to this rule, arriving with good resistance and even being remarkably rigid despite its reduced thickness.

Additionally, the new iPad Pro has shown significant improvements in terms of repairability, a crucial aspect for consumers and repair technicians. iFixit, known for its in-depth teardowns of electronic devices, revealed some interesting surprises during its review of the tablet.

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iPad Pro battery is easier to change

The iPad Pro’s 38.99Wh battery is a component that will inevitably need replacement after some time of use. Fortunately, the good news is that Apple’s new approach makes this process easier.

iFixit’s Shahram Mokhtari highlighted in his video that the battery is relatively easy to access, a change that could save hours of repair time compared to previous models.

To access the battery, you still need to remove the glued-in OLED screen, a critical component that, according to iFixit, does not consist of two panels, but a single OLED plate with more layers of electroluminescence per OLED diode.

With the screen removed, iFixit was able to quickly remove the battery after removing the camera assembly and dealing with an aluminum lip that made accessing some tabs difficult. In previous models, it was necessary to remove virtually all major components to access the battery. Although it is still a process that requires caution and care, it ends up becoming more viable for process enthusiasts and especially for technical repairs.

Apple changed a few things to make the tablet thinner

Despite improved battery accessibility, the iPad Pro’s thinness still poses significant challenges. Many internal parts are glued together, including the tablet’s logic board. iFixit mentions on its blog that this design approach means that removing the speakers can destroy them, and the daughterboard is very susceptible to accidental bending.

Additionally, it was discovered that the 256GB model of the iPad Pro uses only one NAND storage chip, making it technically slower than a dual-chip device. This is similar to what was observed in the entry-level MacBook Air M2.

But this is not such a big problem, as for most users who do not use the device for extreme tasks, this difference in performance may be imperceptible. Those who demand more from the device will probably opt for versions with greater storage capacity.

The Apple Pencil Pro is much more work

On the other hand, the new Apple Pencil Pro priced at US$129 (approximately R$660 in direct conversion) does not have the same ease of repair. iFixit’s Mokhtari had to use an ultrasonic cutter to open the pencil, a process he described as “the world’s worst ASMR video” due to the tool’s high-pitched hiss.

Unlike the iPad Pro, the Pencil Pro’s battery was the last component accessed, and at the end of the process, the pencil was completely destroyed.

The complexity of the Apple Pencil Pro lies precisely in the difficulty in accessing its battery. Mokhtari mentioned that iFixit will soon release a full identification of the internal chips, including images of the MEMS sensor that allows you to adjust the rotation of on-screen art tools by rotating the pencil.

More details can be seen on the iFixit blog, clicking here.

iPad Pro is easier to disassemble, but still requires care

In view of the video, it is possible to prove that, although Apple continues to advance the design and functionality of its devices, repairability challenges are still a crucial point. The good news is that the new iPad Pro shows interesting progress in facilitating access to the battery, an important and critical component to ensure the device’s longevity. However, the presence of glued components and the complexity of devices like the Apple Pencil Pro highlight the difficulties still present in repairing modern technology.

These insights from iFixit are very interesting and even valuable not only for repair technicians, but also for consumers who want to better understand the challenges and benefits of the devices they use.

Source: iFixit