iPad Air Teardown: Glorious Guts, But So Much Glue

PublishedNovember 1, 2013

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

We know it's light, fast and beautiful already, but we still haven't seen inside Apple's new iPad Air. Fortunately, iFixit has had the good grace to rip the thing apart.

Watch

Giving Optimus Prime a Proper Back Story | io9 Interview

view video

Giving Optimus Prime a Proper Backstory | io9 Interview

Rob Savage on Collaborating with Yellowjackets’ Sophie Thatcher

Tuesday 10:04AM

Coastal Animals Are Thriving on Plastic Pollution Out in the Pacific Ocean | Extreme Earth

Monday 5:37PM

So what's lurking beneath that sleek outer casing? Here are some of the high- (or should that be low?) lights:

So. Much. Adhesive. Not that that's really a surprise these days, but this is, apparently, worse than usual.
The front panel is glued to the rest of the device, too, greatly increasing the chances of cracking the glass during a repair.
The Air's 3.73 V, 32.9 WHr, two-cell battery is much smaller than the iPad's 43 WHr, three-cell monster—but that's OK, because this tablet is way more efficient.
Sadly, though, that battery isn't just glued but physically fastened into the case by spring clamps and screws. This is not meant to be replaced by the user.
In terms of guts, it's very, very similar to the iPhone 5S—some minor differences, but most of the hardware is the same or comparable.

All in, iFixit score the iPad Air a 2 out of 10 for repairability; if this thing breaks, you're taking it back to Apple. Why not go read the full teardown over at iFixit? [iFixit]