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iPad Mini Makes Two Common Repairs 'Unnecessarily Difficult,' Says iFixit (cnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the duh dept.

Apple has released the fifth-generation iPad Mini. So, of course, the repair experts at iFixit needed to tear it apart. From a report: The new 7.9 inch tablet, launched two weeks ago, sticks to its roots as a revamp of the iPad Mini 4, according to iFixit's teardown published Tuesday. One notable change is the battery connector design, which could prevent people trying to fix a device from accidentally killing the backlight during a repair, according to iFixit. The iFixit team calls this tweak "nifty!"

iFixit also noted that both the screen and battery are difficult to remove. The removal of the display, in particular, if not done carefully, could compromise the Touch ID technology. "Battery and screen replacements are the two most common repairs, and the iPad Mini makes both unnecessarily difficult," iFixit said. "The battery lacks pull-to-remove adhesive tabs, and the display requires a tricky removal of the home button if you want to keep Touch ID after your repair."

41 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. The Hallmark of great design... by TomGreenhaw · · Score: 4, Insightful

    is ease to maintain.

    --
    Greed is the root of all evil.
    1. Re:The Hallmark of great design... by FFOMelchior · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The greatest design is what reaches the intended goal. For Apple, it's putting more $$$ in their pocket. So, this design is perfect as intended.

    2. Re:The Hallmark of great design... by Tablizer · · Score: 2

      is ease to maintain.

      Then let's bring back the Model T.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    3. Re:The Hallmark of great design... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      That's the "absurd absolute" argument, when you restate your opponent's argument as something absurd and absolute.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    4. Re:The Hallmark of great design... by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      Extreme? Okay, how about a '69 Plymouth instead.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    5. Re:The Hallmark of great design... by tsa · · Score: 1

      For any company, including Apple, it's putting more $$$ in their pocket.

      There. FTFY.

      --

      -- Cheers!

  2. Are we used anything else? by ReneR · · Score: 2

    from a company which also permanently disables too low charged MacBook batteries, ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?... and unrepairable AirPods et al?

  3. Like what exactly? by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    What "great designs" are there that are super easy to maintain?

    Maybe great design is a combination of a lot of factors, sometimes optimizing things like repairability over others, sometimes not.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Like what exactly? by zlives · · Score: 1

      I guess the poster should have said that great design would not require much maintenance and what ever maintenance is required should be accessible.

    2. Re:Like what exactly? by TomGreenhaw · · Score: 5, Interesting

      A couple examples come to my mind. The toilet :-) The IBM PC-AT. It amazes me that the basic mechanical design for many PCs is essentially the same today as it was in 1984.

      Many more really good examples are old cars and military equipment. Its a shame today that we accept products that are not designed to last and be maintained. The critical factor is profit and cost and I think we as consumers deserve better and we as engineers are responsible to make it so.

      --
      Greed is the root of all evil.
    3. Re:Like what exactly? by guruevi · · Score: 1

      Not sure if you've seen modern PCs or toilets for that matter. Even simple stuff like dual flush systems are impossible to repair when a gasket or the plunger goes (it's also all plastic) and you just have to buy an entirely new one.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    4. Re:Like what exactly? by zlives · · Score: 3, Interesting

      what is interesting to me is that the repair typically is more profitable business than the profit margin on a typical product. however the manufacturer can't control the entirety of the profit as some choose to self repair or don;t go back to manufacturer for repair.
      also it really has a lot to do with showing growth in the market rather than profit.

    5. Re:Like what exactly? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      What "great designs" are there that are super easy to maintain?

      Here is a simple car example:

      One of the most common self maintenance tasks that you can perform on your own car is an oil change. On most cars, the oil filter is located somewhere low on the engine, often requiring that you raise the car to get underneath.

      I have two late model Subarus. Both of them have the oil filter up on top of the engine, right there when you open the hood. They are installed on top of a round tray that will catch any drops of oil when you remove the filter. The job can be done with no tools and no oily mess. On my Outback, even the oil drain plug is conveniently located near the front of the engine, just behind the front bumper. You can do the entire oil change job with the car sitting on the garage floor.

      It is a really small thing, but it makes a real difference in the time, effort and mess it makes to change the oil.

    6. Re:Like what exactly? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      What "great designs" are there that are super easy to maintain?

      Maybe great design is a combination of a lot of factors, sometimes optimizing things like repairability over others, sometimes not.

      AK-47

    7. Re:Like what exactly? by freeze128 · · Score: 1

      HP Laserjet 5si (and 8000 series) printers were designed for maintainability. The electronics and motors were on a backplane, and all other components connected to them with easy push-on or drop-in connectors. The most common repairs were stupidly easy to accomplish. You can remove the fuser and various pick-up rollers without a screwdriver. Along with the toner cartridge, these were the most commonly replaced parts. I have seen these printers with MILLIONS of pages on them.

    8. Re: Like what exactly? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Um, lots of modern PC cases are still well designed. Basically any PC cases you deliberately buy are fine. Now, if you are getting a "free" case by buying a PC you might be cutting corners a little too sharply, but actual case vendors are good.

      The ultra budget Thermaltake H series for example, is well made, quiet, and blood sacrifice free for $35 or so.

    9. Re:Like what exactly? by jgtg32a · · Score: 1

      Most firearms when it really comes down to it. AK while easy to maintain is more known for being rugged.

    10. Re:Like what exactly? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Toilets aren't that easy to maintain... Unclogging is not fun and only the Japanese have managed to invent self-cleaning ones. They can struggle with hard water too.

      I don't know why the west loves crappy crappers. They are so primitive compared to a luxury Toto bog. Where's the power lift lid, the remote control, the night time mood lighting, the deodorizer, and of course the arse-wash?

      And for maintainability, the detergent tank and auto-cleaning cycle.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    11. Re:Like what exactly? by TomGreenhaw · · Score: 1

      LOL

      >Toilets aren't that easy to maintain... Unclogging is not fun
      Its more fun than changing an iPhone battery

      --
      Greed is the root of all evil.
    12. Re:Like what exactly? by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      They're still mostly terrible compared with the greats. By far, the best-designed desktop I've seen has to be the PowerMac 7500/7600 series, and by a large margin. To access the motherboard, you press two latches up on the front and slide the top case forward. Then, you slide two small latches and the entire disk drive section folds outwards, and a flip-up plastic piece holds it up off the table so that it isn't unstable in that configuration. Then, you flip out another plastic cover above the PCI slots, and at that point basically the entire motherboard is exposed, with access to RAM, battery, slots, etc.

      And removing the power supply is as simple as unplugging the cables, closing the hinged part, removing one easily accessed screw, sliding the power supply forward (IIRC) and lifting.

      And the hard drives are on sleds that you can remove by... lifting, IIRC... and then sliding it forwards. And, of course, you can easily get to the cables with the drive section flipped up.

      Add that all up, and it was the only non-laptop computer I've ever worked on regularly without getting a single cut from sharp-edged metal.

      Don't get me wrong, later Macs were decent, and the G5 was almost at the same level design-wise, but if you've ever watched someone replace a G5 power supply, you understand why the 7500/7600 design wins hands down. And, of course, the twin turbojet engines. :-)

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    13. Re:Like what exactly? by tsa · · Score: 1

      Bicycle. Pen. Scissors. Rocks. Paper.

      --

      -- Cheers!

    14. Re:Like what exactly? by Lord_Jeremy · · Score: 1

      +1 to that. I love how easy it is to change the oil/filter on my Subaru and my mechanically-inclined friends have noticed and commented on it as well.

  4. Re: on the right to repair... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You are free to call for a free market when your company uses no police services to protect their executives, no courts to protect their IP, have no real estate property defended by the US military, and no banks overseen and underwrittern by the Fed.

    If you want to live in a society, we don't offer a ala carte option on the rules you have to follow. Feel free to volunteer yourself out of the "illegal to murder" collective though.

  5. Tax it by nightfire-unique · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I will single-issue-vote for any representative that promises to table and/or support legislation adding a stiff tax on products based on an e-waste assessment.

    Wear items, such as batteries, glued into the device? 50% recycling tax.

    Non-standard fasteners (ie. Torx with an anti-tamper pin)? 75% recycling tax.

    Cryptographic challenges preventing the use of replacement parts, kernels, roms, etc? 100% recycling tax.

    If any legislators are reading this comment: I will vote for you if you push right-to-repair legislation, no matter what else you stand for.

    --
    A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
    1. Re:Tax it by larryjoe · · Score: 4, Informative

      I will single-issue-vote for any representative that promises to table and/or support legislation adding a stiff tax on products based on an e-waste assessment.

      Tangential comment: It may be surprising to most English speakers, but the word "table" in the above context has exactly opposite meanings in the UK and the US. The above phrase in the UK means to "submit (a bill, etc) for consideration by a legislative body" whereas in the US, it means to "suspend discussion of (a bill, etc) indefinitely or for some time". During a recent conversation, my English friend and I were really confused for a while until we figured out what the other person meant.

    2. Re:Tax it by Anubis+IV · · Score: 1

      Glad someone commented on this. I was aware of it, but it bears repeating with each ambiguous usage of "table" here at Slashdot, simply to prevent confusion from spreading. Ideally, we'd simply use alternative wording.

  6. Re:Inching towards... by sosume · · Score: 1

    We've only had smartphones for little over a decade. I bet smartphones will disappear and replaced by a totally different tech within the next 15 years..

  7. Re:Easy fix. by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    People don't buy Maserati's for their ease of maintenance.

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  8. Re: on the right to repair... by guruevi · · Score: 2

    That has nothing to do with free markets though. Government has a function, namely to protect me from you to a certain extent as well as to provide emergency and common life-supporting services. Where the boundaries between community and personal service lie is up to (some) debate but government shouldn't be targeting particular industries or individuals in any direction.

    Government is generally bad at everything, they should not get involved in the details of the market because they are too slow and bureaucratic to do anything timely. They should make sure the markets operate as fair as possible though.

    --
    Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
  9. Re: Easy fix. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    But at least you don't have to buy a brand new Maserati when the spark plugs are worn out !

  10. Apple lies, customers needlessly lose data by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 2

    Check out this Louis Rossman video. Apple flat-out lies about being able to salvage data off of damaged phones. Independent repair shop cites a 95% success rate in doing so, while Apple's only response is "all your photos are gone forever. Buy a new phone."

    When she tried to help grieving people on the Apple forums, they banned her. She can find nothing in the TOS that disallows what she said.

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
  11. Apple make hard to repair products by DarkRookie2 · · Score: 2

    In other news today, water is wet.

    --
    http://progressquest.com/spoltog.php?name=Son+Of+Son+Of+DarkRookie
  12. Re:Easy fix. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    People don't buy Maserati's for their ease of maintenance.

    Apple may have qualified for that kind of comparison once upon a time, but it's been a number of years since that has been true. Today, you largely buy Apple for the brand and based on their past history of having once been worth the premium.

    If you wanted to buy an Apple computer for the ease of maintenance, you'd buy an Apple II, II+, IIe, IIgs, or an old Mac Pro tower, not a modern Mac or iDevice.

  13. Link to iFixit article by CapS · · Score: 1

    Not sure why it didn't link directly to the iFixit article, but here it is:

    https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...

    1. Re:Link to iFixit article by msauve · · Score: 1

      Yep, the summary sucks, as does msmash, who should have ensured that a summary about ifixit's findings would have at least one link to ifixit, and not lame ones to cnet and past /. articles.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  14. Of course its hard to repair by DrXym · · Score: 1

    Apple don't want you to repair it. They want you to throw it in the trash and buy another one.

  15. The fall of Apple post-Jobs. by MobyDisk · · Score: 2

    iPad Mini Makes Two Common Repairs 'Unnecessarily Difficult,' Says iFixit

    What a disappointment. If Steve jobs was still running the company, he would have made sure that *three* common repairs were unnecessarily difficult!

  16. give apple an award by renegade600 · · Score: 1

    How about the "Rotten Apple Award"

    I guess apple is preparing for the right to repair laws. They are going to make things difficult for diy repairs.

  17. It's obviously deliberate. by shm · · Score: 1

    The last macbook pro I bought had the battery up against the keyboard instead of being user accessible.

    Apple just wants you to junk the entire machine instead of replacing the battery.

    I'm done with these jokers.

  18. Dell is probably easiest to repair by _merlin · · Score: 1

    You've never used a Dell professional machine. I have a Precision desktop, a Latitude notebook, and PowerEdge servers. The service manuals are freely available, with step-by-step instructions and diagrams for accessing and replacing every component. Nothing is glued or taped together - everything uses fasteners of some kind. Spare parts are easy to order, too. There aren't iFixit teardowns for Dell notebooks because they're completely unnecessary. Dell doesn't have a problem with companies doing in-house repairs on their Dell computers, and even facilitates it.

    1. Re:Dell is probably easiest to repair by EdwardFurlong · · Score: 1

      The trend seems to be making laptops more difficult to fix/upgrade though. No more batteries that you can take out without a tool, no more easy access to the RAM and HDD. Slimbooks, touchscreens, etc trying to cram everything in. Some things you can't upgrade because it's all soldered together. I know it's not as bad as an Ipad, but they are turning something an absolute novice could do, like change a battery out, to something where you have to unscrew the back, unclip ribbon cables, etc. Obviously there are some exceptions.