Finally, instead of having to remove “every significant component,” as was necessary in the past, repairmen can remove the batteries.
The brand new M4 iPad Pro with a 13-inch display is incredibly, really tiny. The fact that this is going to make certain areas of repairing the smartphone much more difficult is something that iFixit confirmed in a teardown that was published this weekend. However, it does excel in one particular area: when it comes to the process of replacing the battery, Apple has made several adjustments that are really useful.
After removing the screen from an iPad Pro, Teardown Tech’s Shahram Mokhtari said in a blog post that “for the first time in an iPad Pro, we are able to remove the battery immediately after removing the screen.” Mokhtari makes the observation that “immediately is relative,” as there are still some screws and brackets that need to be removed before the battery can be removed. Additionally, the video that documents the process demonstrates that it takes a little bit of effort to get to the pull tabs that are located beneath the batteries. Despite this, the new setup still reduces the amount of time required to remove the battery in comparison to earlier models.
When asked about the device’s ability to be repaired, Mokhtari is quoted as saying, “The fact that you can remove the battery without having to remove every major component inside this device is still a huge win for repairability.” It is a significant advancement in comparison to the generation that came before it. On the other hand, repairing everything else without causing any damage is likely to be considered to be a really challenging task. We discovered a big variety of things that are glued down since there just isn’t enough place for screws. This includes everything from the daughterboard to the speakers and the coax cables—we found it everything.
The dissection also reveals that the new Apple Pencil Pro is a nightmare in terms of its ability to be repaired. “A disposable piece of crap once the battery dies,” Mokhtari said, referring to the Pencil, which he had suffered a cut from while attempting to access its internal components.