In terms of repairs, Apple’s iPads are among the many most tough in Apple’s product lineup. Whereas the original iPad acquired a 6/10 for repairability from iFixit, recent models haven’t risen above a 2 in recent times. However a small change to the iPad Air 5 may sign a change.
Whereas iFixit isn’t conducting a proper teardown of the new iPad Air—largely as a result of it’s so just like the iPad Air 4—the location’s consultants couldn’t resist giving the within of Apple’s latest pill a gander. And so they discovered something very interesting: pull tabs for the battery. While you take away the display screen from the brand new iPad Air, you’ll discover stretch adhesives that may be pulled to loosen the battery from its housing to make it a lot simpler to take away.
Earlier iPad fashions have held the battery in place with a powerful adhesive that required some form of a solvent or an amazing quantity of persistence to pry it free. It was messy and hostile and made for tough battery replacements from non-Apple Retailer restore retailers and almost unimaginable to do at house.
These new tabs make it a little bit simpler to take away the battery, although iFixit notes the battery connector stays the identical, so whereas it’s simpler to take away the battery, it’s simply as onerous to exchange it. And naturally, taking it aside remains to be a really tough process.
Apple introduced late final yr that it could be launching a brand new Self Service Repair program for iPhones that gives entry to real Apple components and instruments for at-home repairs. Apple hasn’t introduced whether or not this system will come to iPads, however the brand new pull tabs for the battery could possibly be a technique to make it barely simpler for folks to repair merchandise at house.
