We’re spending our Friday afternoon huddled in the office, trying to figure out the best way to get into the new iPad. So this seemed like an opportune time to discuss what we hoped we’d see in the iPad from a responsible, repairable product design perspective. We’ve given the new iPad one of the lowest repairability scores we’ve ever given a major product: 2 out of 10. (The 4th Generation iPod Shuffle also received a 2/10 score because you basically have to break it to open it). We’ve also retroactively downgraded our original iPad 2 score from 4 out of 10 to 2. These devices are very difficult to get into, and they’re selling like hotcakes—slick hotcakes encased in breakable glass.
Here are three ways we hoped the new iPad would be more repairable (but wasn’t):
Getting in: We hoped that Apple might return to the easy-to-open tabs of the original iPad. Being able to get into a device is obviously the first step in any repair. Instead, the thin front panel is held on by a strong adhesive. We’ve gotten better at getting into iPads since last year (we broke the screen on the first iPad 2 we tore down), but the iPad puts walls of glass and aluminum between the user and the device’s insides. Apple says the iPad is “made of aluminum and other materials highly desired by recyclers“—but that means nothing if recyclers can’t get into the device at all. Mr. Cook, tear down this wall!
Getting past the front panel: The front panel in both the iPad 2 and the new iPad is impossible to remove without also removing the LCD screen—which is adhered to the front panel with foam sticky tape. The connector holding the front panel in place is beneath the LCD, meaning you have to disassemble the device all the way to the logic board and battery just to replace broken glass on the front.
Replacing the battery: As in the iPad 2, the new iPad’s (significantly larger) battery is glued down securely to the rear case. Gluing down batteries is particularly dangerous because of the risks of breaking a battery—if punctured, the lithium ion battery can explode. Even Apple doesn’t bother trying to replace the battery. When you arrange for an Apple Care “battery replacement,” they actually replace your entire iPad for a service fee. The iPad battery is supposed to maintain 80% of its battery life after 1000 cycles, but users began reporting diminished battery life within a few months of purchasing the original iPad.
As our video guide guru MJ points out in her video below, not only can we hold Apple to a higher standard than other manufacturers, we must. If Apple ships one million iPads today, at 1.44 pounds each, that means 650 metric tons of unrepairable toxic iPad going out just today. And Apple’s the most valuable company in the world. Their stock hit $600/share yesterday. They’re recognized as leaders in the design and business worlds.
If Apple is going to be at the head of the pack, we must ask them to lead responsibly. And in electronics, leading responsibly means that your devices must be sustainably made and designed to last. Designed for use. Designed for repair. Designed for a more sustainable future.
I seriously love your work with the heat of a 1000 suns. Thank you for pointing out these important facts about apple design, sustainability and repairability. I have repaired my share of apple products with confidence because of your site, and I have enjoyed long life with all of my apple products because of it. I know that my ipad will not enjoy the same fate.
I knew the iPad was bad, but i never guessed it was so ugly.
These practices have to be changed, but even while I’m in this industry myself, I wouldn’t know where to start. Posts like these make it known that somewhere, some people care about this stuff.
I recently wrote an article about consumer electronics consistently breaking at the same spots. (http://www.krekr.nl/content/ubiquitous-planned-obsolescence-in-consumer-electronics/)
I’m glad Apple is doing relatively well on this front…
Apple will never prioritize repairability of their devices because they don’t want you to repair your iPad. They want you to buy the newest version. Apple doesn’t make any money on the secondary device market. They don’t make any money on replacement batteries or screens. They do make A LOT of money however on selling new devices. Apple is a corporation beholden to a corporate charter which legally binds them to increase profit quarter after quarter. I understand the desire to have more easily repairable and accessible devices, I just don’t foresee Apple moving in that direction at any point in the near future until their is a much larger call for it from their customer base.
I’m all for repairability but you can’t make everything a priority. I’m curious to see, what would you give up for a more repairable iPad?
And no, I want them to do both. I want them to be free, but the reality is they cost money. In this case the reality is that Apple puts a premium on thin and simple. Both would, more than likely, be effected by making the device more repairable.
By the way, its not that its NOT repairable. Its just harder than you would like it to be.
If I was CEO of Apple I would make sure that every iPad functioned as long as possible. Sure I’d love to sell you a new one every year but I’d also like someone to use your old one and buy music on iTunes or apps in the appstore or even download free apps that all seem to have those little display ads at the bottom of the screen that Apple shares profit on. So if costs an extra $2 to ditch the double sided tape and use screws please do it! I’ll pay for them in the short term and Apple will make it back many times over in the long term.
According to the Apple link, http://www.apple.com/batteries/replacements.html battery replace after the end on warranty is possible. While I’m not happy Apple holds a lock on battery replacement, it is an option and perhaps reasonable in price? What would you estimate the value of the battery to be?
I see no difference in the repair from 2 to 3. I have done several and have gotten pretty good at them. The main repair I see is the broken glass. This makes it simple enough to heat the edges and simply chip the glass shards out carefully. The main concern remains to keep from damaging the extremely flimsy and paper-thin wi-fi antenna (adhesively secured between the glass AND the frame), as well as the fragile power/volume ribbon cable along the upper right corner. If I have a LCD repair I always have a glass included in the repair price cuz’ more than likely it will break in the process of removal. I have also discovered the metal “open sesame” tool that is the greatest tool to date over the cheap plastic spudgers. Good luck everyone and thanx’ to iFixit for taking a “bite” out of the Apple!
I think people need to realise that Apple isn’t sealing these up in order to prevent repair or in order to make people buy the next model. Jobs valued good design and simplicity so highly (he was, most likely, at least a little OCD), that if clean neat design meant the sacrifice of some small piece of functionality (a simple access system!) then so be it (after-all, the iPad 2 IS repairable – and its not that hard once you’ve done 4 or 5). And the only reason apple devices are so “nice” and “easy” to use is the high level of “integration”.
That said, glued down screens are probably not necessary – the ipad 1 tab style could be made to fit in the same size case…. It would not be aesthetically pleasing to Jobs – who felt that the bits you can’t see should be as well designed as the bits you can see… but he’s no longer around so…
Uhh…. Maybe Apple is doing what it is doing because people actually don’t care about repairing stuff and neither is Apple. They are selling Metric TONS of these ipads to a veracious crowd who doesn’t give a seconds thought to the impact to the environment. Honestly – if they piled EVERY SINGLE ipad ever made on an open field, I bet it couldn’t even be seen from space at all. It’s really not as big a problem as the environmentalist want us to believe. Just bury the damn things in the dessert of Arabia, and be done with it.
Good post, unfortunately we are a “next best thing” society whether we need it or not. I am writing this on my 4 year old MacBook Pro and actually would rather be writing it on my iBook G4 if I had not dumped coffee on it a while back and fried the mother board somewhere. Matter of fact I used ifixit to repair that iBook a number of times in the last 8 years. Apple unfortunately has changed to a company far more like Microsoft than they would like to admit. None of this would be acceptable in any other industry. Imagine if the changed the size and threading of your kitchen faucet connections every year! As long as we accept the purchase of devices made with slave labor from China this problem will not change. One thing could force US companies to return to repairability, and that is the limiting of raw materials like Rare Earth Metals being exported from China. This is occurring now and if it continues there will be more emphasis on reclaiming these materials from old devices. Currently industry manufacturing practices for electronics make recovery of these materials so difficult that it is not feasible. This could be easily changed if the initial design of these devices had recycling and reclaiming in mind. This has been occurring in the auto market for 100 years. Also every bit of scrap steel in this country is recycled (though some is actually shipped to China and recycled there).
None of this will occur until there is a mind-set change, and this change cannot occur without education, education cannot occur if people will not take the time to listen, people will not listen until they are forced to the precipice by severe shortages and high prices.
It’s false that “Apple doesn’t bother trying to replace the battery”. They do and they ask you around 100$. Batteries must be disposed in friendlily way: it’s the law.
This is part of a larger problem with stuff. Say you could easily replace the battery on the iPad. You might double or triple the useful life of the device. After that, it still will find itself in the bottom of the junk drawer along with Palm Treo PDA phones, power transformers, old broken mice, etc. As much as I enjoy my iPad, I realize it will eventually be consigned to that drawer, yet the books I have had for twenty or more years still work like new and most are still relevant. I scratch my head at this, while agreeing that all of this tech stuff needs to be repairable, upgradable, and ultimately recyclable.
For anyone who says there is no environmental impact do us all a favor and start up your car in a sealed garage and experience the impact for yourself, and raise the avg. IQ at the same time. Everything Apple does is manipulative in the worst way possible, because they do it without you even noticing, just like some of the most successful Cults in history. Not a slam, just a fact. They are responsible for abhorrent environmental damage while making it seem like they are green. They offer all the features in the world, while holding back the functionality you need and desire. They tout unparalled quality and ease of use, when they suffer from instability, crashes, regressions, and poor performance just like everyone else. All I want is sustainable technology that I can continue to use for years to come (like my Apple IIe, still in use today) with the features and functionality I desire (not something Steve Jobs thinks I need or will pay more for in 6 months). Thank you for exposing this now obvious fact that Apple does in fact stink, they just “Stink Different”.
This is just an Apple fan site – every other word is “I love Apple”, or “I am an Apple fan”. There is no incentive for Apple to change because they know that sites like yours will bend over backwards to buy their products no matter what. The only way that will change is if people who REALLY want to be able to repair their devices is to actually buy devices that are repairable rather than continuing to support Apples policies by buying their equipment.
@Tim. Was that directed at anyone in particular :S ??? Maybe you could demonstrate your technique so we can be sure how to do it? – oh… not a ‘slam’ :D
There is nothing to give up for repair ability the ipad 1 is a beautiful design and I prefer the flat edges over the rounded personally I’m sure you can fit all of that new ipad guts into the ipad 1 and the retna display and it would be at least easy enough to replace the glass
The bottom line is that nobody is forced to buy an Apple product. I can see why those products are revolutionary but there are several aspects about this company which I truly diislike I won’t give them a cent. It’s like a bad joke that a consumer cannot even replace a damn battery. I really wich consumers were more conscious in such respects.
Apple like all U.S. companies only care about profits. This is why the U.S. is going downhill. Apple purposely makes these devices difficult to work on. There is only MORE money to be made from people who will go out and buy another one. Why do you think they are considered #1? It could be said they provide good jobs for the slave labor and their families in China. We all should be happy for them. After all, everyone here in the U.S. has money to burn. Buy the maximum warranty from Apple send back your I-Pad with a smile. What are you complaining for? Boost our economy –charge it or just write a new check for your replacement I-Pad and be happy you silly Americans.
Very interesting assortment of comments.
I have an iPad1 since Sep. 2010, no problems (constantly in the hands of young grandkids).
In Jan. 2012 I bought a Samsung Series 7 computer (Win 7 Pro). It is designed and assembled pretty much the same way as the iPad. It is about the same size, just wider due to the (dumm)10 x 9 format. Within a couple of days the lower left corner (landscape) of the glass was sticking up about 1/16″ over the frame. Samsung repaired.
BUT, it is beginning to stickup AGAIN. So much for repairability.
So, “to repair” or “not to repair”, that’s the question.
The value of the product is what a person is willing to pay. If apple want 499 for the new iPad and everybody paid the $499 then that is the cost. Now for apple to make a better design with environmental responsability and a product with more acces to be open will be happen when people start pushing the company. Apple it is he biggest company because people are willing to buy from them.
I don’t know why you would want to repair your own device. Guess that’s ok but do you repair the electronics on your car yourself? Also Apple has a recycling program see http://www.apple.com/recycling. The also give you a gift card if your device still has usability. Also, Apple has a remanufacturing program. The devices that are returned due to breakage or a battery problem or any other problem are then torn down and the reusable parts are then used to put together a “reman” product. I appreciate some of your concerns but please present all the facts in your “reporting” . Thanks.
They are following the Chinese mantra
“USE and THROW” don’t get it repaired, come back to us so we will skin you and charge you more,don’t learn technology but accept the way we give it to you…….
We all took a bite from Apple indeed. The unfortunate reality is that Apple is intentionality producing devices that everyone wants, break fairly easily, and are difficult to repair. This equates to profit which is ultimately what is running the company. Visionaries and engineers with a soul might wakeup to this and slip away from Apple. It just takes time and possibly another company or visionary to lead the way. What if iFixit became iMakeit?? :-p
Why did Apple start using pentalobe screws? So iFixit could make a profit selling screwdriver kits? No, they just don’t want us fixing “their” products and it shows with every new release. As they tighten their grip we will slip through their fingers.
I bought the original iPad a little over 2 years ago. It had been cared for and was never dropped. One day half of the screen went black. When I brought it in to the Apple Store for repair they told me a replacement would be ~$400. Unhappy with this I made the complaint that the battery wasn’t functioning properly at the time. The “battery replacement program” literally means they replace your iPad for a fee. They do not replace the battery then and there. When I asked where my old iPad would go they said back to the factory for refurbishing. Where I assume they would tear it down and recycle it or rebuild it with a new battery. Then put it back out there again for the “battery replacement program.”
This could be why they don’t want us fixing their products; they recoup them for refurbishing. Which I guess is another form of recycling… I digress.
Someone will make products more accessible, hackable, fixable, which is really where the action is for the Harry Tuttle types. Let’s just hope Apple doesn’t become Central Services*.
There is so much bullshit, hate and propaganda here. Apple makes great products that last. Period. Yes, people get the occasional lemon, but Apple generally will replace these no questions asked. And, yes, people are careless and drop their devices, and sometimes they shatter. Get a no compromises warranty. They’re available.
I’m on my third iPhone, sold the original iPhone 1 on eBay two years after purchase still working like a champ. Sold the second, a 3GS, same way, still going strong. Wife finally upgraded her 3G after 3 years. It looks and works like the day she bought it. Have a PPC iMac still going strong, a MB Air that feels like a sculpture, and a new iMac that is a joy to use. Planned obsolescence is not the Apple way. Never has been. Period.
Apple builds the most durable consumer electronics available. Period. Is there room for improvement? Sure. But to charge them with environmental irresponsibility is naive. They are industry leaders in reducing the toxic load of devices, and of closing the loop with recycling. Few companies can compare with their track record. Every Mac I own is still usable to some extent, and some are 20+ years old. TO find a working PC more than several years old is nearly impossible. Yes, do create more easily serviceable devices, if it doesn’t detract from the design or function. Support more reusability through better repairability. But make no mistake that the reason they are the most valuable and innovative company on the planet is anything to do with planned obsolescence. When you are at the leading edge of the curve, and are actually steering that curve toward greater usability, you necessarily have cycles of outdated hardware. Nobody griping here would like it if any company stuck with old processors, old V?RAM, motherboards, etc. I’m grateful one company actually cares enough to consider the full range of design and impact considerations, and have enabled a far more creative culture than the competitors could dream of. There is only one leader.
Which company doesn’t have this use and trash philosophy.
But there is one company whose product fetch extremely good value in the resale market and with better components than the rest – the one that proudly state designed in California and assembled in China.
This is the basic problem Apple products are not designed to be repaired by anyone other than Apple.
This is a basic problem with most consumer electronics, and Apple is not helping to reduce the problem at all instead they are doing like many others, adding to it.
The majority of consumer electronics is not easily repairable by any 3rd party shop.
Their are no design schematics or repair manuals for the electronics that are being produced and sold to the consumer.
No matter who makes the product that you’re using chances are the repair schematics and service manuals are not available to anyone other than the company that created it themselves.
This philosophy to save the company a few dollars creates a major pollution and landfill problem worldwide.
A throwaway society is wasteful and expensive and damaging to the environment.
Could you imagine if everything was like that? Cars, Houses, furniture, refrigerators, toys, could not be repaired except by the manufacturer.
well, basically it’s already happened. Most items cannot be repaired anymore unless someone took the time to reverse engineer it to figure out how was put together and then somehow find the parts or repair the broken parts that are causing a malfunction. This is why we don’t see hardly any more mom and pop fix-it shops.
So if you want to know where all Your money’ is going just look in the trash. that’s right, that printer that stopped working… It’s in the trash along with the monies spent when you bought it.
Until a global awakening happens people who make decisions for manufacturing companies are going to continue to profit in the short run of things by forcing people to buy new products and filling up our landfills with their junk “planned obsolescence”.
The long of it is that very little electronics is getting recycled or being repaired and our planet is becoming more and more toxic.
I wish I had a solution to this growing Pollution problem but every little bit we can do to slow down and recycle and possibly reuse electronics would be a blessing for generations to come.
God bless anyone who could make a difference.
Love is about making sacrifices for the betterment of others,
greed is about making sacrifices to benefit oneself.
This is one of the reasons I would never buy an Apple Product besides them being the only Company in this line that keeps on suing every other Manufacturer as if they are the “god” of Technology. NO THANKS,no matter how “Good” there products might be.??????
OK, seriously how many of these devices do you think will really hit the trash heap? I mean, who throws away an iPad?!?! If you know of such an ignorant person that would just toss an iPad in the trash that has not been dropped from from a flying aircraft or run over by Hummer, please tell me where they live so I can go scrounge around in their garbage cans on trash pick up day! Give me an iPad with a shattered glass and I will fix it! If you can’t fix it yourself put it up on eBay and someone that can will give you money for it.
Seriously folks recycling an iPad means making it work again and putting it into the hands of a human that will benefit from it, not dropping it off at the Sims Recycle Center with your empty beer cans! Who would do that?!?!?!?!
As much as I appreciate this standpoint I think in this case the iFixit company is speaking more for its own interests than for the majority of customers and they ignore important aspects. The type of sealing Apple has chosen has three non-minor advantages:
1.) More protection for the components. Where a spudger can get through so can liquids (and external light). The adhesive provides a much better seal – not only against nerds.
2.) Much thinner manufacturing. Take a look at the picture at my G+ post:
The iPad2/3 front cover is at least 70% thinner than the cover of the iPad1 because it no longer needs to provide this holes (marked with the arrow in the picture) where the mounting tabs can snap in.
These dimensions may seem as not that important for the average user but for an industrial designer these are ‘worlds’. These 70% can be used for more important objectives like a smaller, thinner and more robust enclosure; more hardware, more battery.
We all have no idea how many iterations the design process goes through until a company like Apple accepts the fact that the new device gets 0,03 inches thicker.
There are definitely a lot more customers who are happy to say “Look how thin and light this is!” instead of “You won’t believe me how easy it is to exchange the battery. And it only takes about 20 minutes.”.
3.) Apple’s message to us all: “Stay the heck out of here!!”.
But if Apple would be really so possessed at keeping us out they would have already built their own manufacturing gear and servicing-tools. The iPhone 4S wouldn’t have any screws at all and you couldn’t open the case of an Mac Mini without at least destroying the shell.
Finally a closing comment on another statement made by iFixit:
– “If Apple ships one million iPads today, at 1.44 pounds each, that means 650 metric tons of unrepairable toxic iPad going out just today.”
Dear iFixit: You know this is nonsense. So why do you write this in the first place? You not only know that Apple has a recycling program per se – it should be obvious that Apple is reusing parts of it. At least it would make sense.
I think the whole idea is about what their intention is. Are they intentionally using the means by makeing products with taward zero repairable to the end which is making more profits. Or their intention is something like highly integration would be more robust system which leads less repair ability. Or something in between. I remember read a news said iPad is much easier to assemble, compare with iPhone. That could be a factor
Apple just replaced my old used iPod Nano with a brand new Nano because the battery might catch fire. no questions asked. That kind of service lets Apple do what they want with repair-ability IMO
Environmental responsibility is more than offering a recycling program. Recycling doesn’t “close the loop”, as one comment said. It will not produce raw materials of the same quality that initially went into the production process, and recycling uses resources too. That’s why the first step of and responsible waste management is *avoiding* or *minimising* waste. If a production will never be repaired, only replaced, even with something so simple as a failing battery, it fails at that first step.
I think you should change your “repairability” rating to “packability”.
Because that’s what we’re really talking about.
Tell me, do you have a rating on repairability for a Rolex Watch?
No?
Because the level of precision, and standards of craftsmanship, of, say, a Swiss Watch are too much for any amateur to meet?
Apple is competing for business with lots of cheap knock-off products.
They do so by making a product that will be as durable and usable as possible, within reason.
They could go the Tonka-Toy approach and make an iPad 3/4 inch thick made of recyclable plastic.
But… no.
They could go the Heath-Kit approach and make an iPad with a rectangular metal box, made in pieces so it disassembles easily.
But… no.
Because either way, they’d lose business to the Android knock-off tablets.
And really, since Apple has a recycling program, a screen replacement program and offers battery replacement, there’s no reason they should go out of their way to satisfy the Heath-Kit crowd.
Screws come loose, eventually. Double-stick tape is more reliable because the surface area is much higher, and it’s more shock-resistant too.
Your objections are noted. And dismissed as silly.
Why do you say that these devices are destined for the landfill?
If it breaks or the battery wears out, Apple will take your iPad and give you a replacement and then recycle your old one themselves….Yes?
Do you think Apple sends old iPads to landfills or strips them for parts and materials?
Repair is an art — it can be hard to ensure that a repaired product is “equivalent to new”. Even if your product doesn’t need repairs (think Maytag), the repair depots need staff and the staff require training. After you train them you have to pay them enough for sitting around to keep them from getting jobs repairing stuff that does break (think medical equipment, avionics, etc.).
We are entering an era in which many goods are not repairable, even car engines: . Non-repairable goods can be made more cheaply and more reliable. If the failure rate is very low, replacement is better than repair. The cost to Apple of making an iPod is a fraction of the selling price, so if there are few failures they don’t need to spend anything on repairs — just replace with a new unit. In my experience, many “defective” products don’t have any hardware faults, only software bugs or mis-configuration, so in fact many returned units can be made “like new” with a software refresh, something that can be automated and does not require highly trained staff.
Hi everyone. I have a 2007 Mac Book Pro (Santa Rosa) and still running strong. I my daughter accidentally dropped it one on the corner where the hard disk resides and in time I had to replace it. I did it my self. The only other issue was the video card, but Apple took care of that since my model came like that from factory and the repair just cost me 35 bucks. I use any technology that works for me. I like Apple products because of it’s like a tootsie roll. It last a long time. I might when I get the chance purchase a new MBP in the future with more power since I use Photoshop and Lightroom a lot and that extra power can come in handy. I have I fixit bookmarked, because I admire a company that can give you an option to fix something if it’s fixable. By the way…. even though some things can be true, the whole Foxcomm thing in China is false and they had to make a major retract.
Huh, what is the population % that repairs their own electronics? I guess less than 5% ? Why would Apple sacrifice design for repairability? Your logic doesn’t make sense. Anyhoo, let Apple handle the repair, if your product is within warranty, they just give you a refurbished one, no need to repair anything.
Although I believe that the argument you bring up is valid and I like many people who visit your site like to break things down and fix them (most of the time). The vast majority of people who get a new Apple device just pass the previous version they had down to a family member or relative. I’ve never personally witnessed someone just “throw away” an Apple product. Even when the product is broken I always see stuff on craigslist or eBay with people selling them for parts. I would love for Apple to let people have access to these cool products so that we may tinker around but I don’t see that happening soon however I don’t entirely agree that this is encouraging a certain “throw-away” mentality. I still own a few older PowerBooks that I don’t want to part with regardless of their lack of functionality.
As much as I admire those who pass on their old devices to the next generation, if companies make it as difficult as possible to make simple repairs then obsolesence/throwing away is inevitable eventually, planned or not. Who is going to pay Apple up to $100 to fix an old iPad after 5 years when they can put that money towards the latest model?
Maybe in the us apple can fix your broken screen or replace your battery, but outhere, they just say they’re sorry, but that is not covered by the warranty. Even if you let it very clear that you are willing to pay for it, seems like they don’t offer any other services outside the US. And guess how many of their devices are sold in the US compared with the ones they sell outside. I’m talking specifically about the iphone and ipad. You can go to a local Apple Store to get your Macbook or your ipod touch repaired, but for your iphone and ipad, you have to go directoy to the 1-800 number to get them to say all you can do is cry about it, cause they’re not fixing it at any cost. Ypu can go to the www site and place your fixing order, but they will keep canceling it after 2 or 3 days, even if you set clear that you will cover any costs envolved. That’s why I’ve had to repair my devices by miself and that’s why I bought an Acer Iconia A500 better. Since then 2 friends of mine have sold their ipads and replace them with an A500 and 3 of them bought an A500 instead of the new iPad. After using it a few months, you grab an iPad and feels like you’re using a toy because an A500 can replace your laptop and an iPad can’t. In fact i have never connected my Iconia to a Computer because there’s no need to do so. Why will you connect a computer to another??? But on the other hand, if all you do with your iPad is play games, then they’re the exact same thing and there are more games available for the iPad, at least for now. PS If i won an ipad 3 i wouldn’t hesitate to sell it and keep using my A500.
Battery charging: This just points to how important it is to manage the way the iPads are re-charged, making sure they are done using the correct USB charging profile. If we just top-up the batteries or re-charge too frequently, the battery’s life cycle will be reduced and, for schools and other institutions, this could be a huge expense. A charging hub that is designed for Apple’s power profile requirements can help. We are using a 16-port charging hub (http://www.ipadcarts.com/solutions/DS-IP-PP16.htm) that is excellent and have noticed that our oldest iPads are still OK.
Oh sure it would be nice if Apple make a unit that looked like a suitcase and repairs were as easy (remember the mac tower? Flip a switch and the whole side just flipped open?) But we also want the unit to be super thin, not pop open by accident, etc, etc.
One last item. Please consider that Apple repair places may just have better tools than your heat gun and plastic tip tool. I can just picture a heating jig that you run the iPad thru that focuses heat on the seal material, as it comes out the other side, gloved hands gently lift the glass sections off and disconnect them. The battery would also come right off (once the adhesive is heated to the right temp.)
I have spent many years in electronics build and repair and trust me, the right tools make many jobs much easier.
Nate, March 16th wrote: “It’s really not as big a problem as the environmentalist want us to believe. Just bury the damn things in the dessert of Arabia, and be done with it.”
Include the amount of “invisible resources” (bauxite, oil, silicon, water, lithium) used to produce one iPad and I’ll bet _I_ can see it from space (and I don’t know how good your eyesight is, but you might too ;)
It really makes no difference if you can repair it or not. I highly highly highly doubt that the 1% of people who literally throw their broken iDevice in the trash (as compared with the 99% that resell the broken device to someone, hold onto it forever, or take it to Apple for refurb/recycle) makes any difference at all. The net difference in trash produced due to their design practice being what it is is going to be nil compared to say, Wal-Mart, or the trash bag conspiracy (you place your dirty trash in a clean and not environmentally friendly plastic bag and then put that bag into a dirty trash bin). They’re going to make new devices even if they were more repairable. They would also need to have parts created just for you, packaged in boxes or other plastic packaging, shipped out to stores so you can get them, etc. No one is throwing their iPad away because a new one came out. That’s absurd. The only reason you’re picking on Apple is to get clicks. Wal-Mart is far far worse than Apple when it comes to creating a disposable culture. I’m willing to bet more people throw away bic lighters and pens than Apple products. Of course it’s impossible to hate on bic lighters though.
Great points. I found the iPad an amazing tool for autistic children. Unfortunately, I have encountered an awful lot of melt downs when children have accidentely dropped iPods as well as iPads.
Seems silly to create such helpful apps for these children then makes the tool so fragile
I have been using Apple Computers since the Apple II europlus, and do apple tech support for a living, I was evangelist for a long time and helped recruit many johnny come latelys to the party. But to be honest Apple are pretty evil as concerns this stuff nowadays, their marketing is extreme and over the top, and their supposedly unparrallel’d design cant be that great if the design doesn’t include the ability to repair, upgrade or easily recycle the components, like most design today its form second and functional customer orientated design third, and primarily supreme profit margins first, the volume in which their selling and premium for which they charge, they need to listen more to their customers, I certainly no longer wholeheartedly recommend apple to people on limited budgets who want upgradeability , Their sony like walled garden money making cash till mentality is also wearing. The computing arena is supposed to enable people and develop their understanding and save them time, the postpc era is generally becoming a new form of media based entertainment distraction device anyway.
Apple knows the software/hardware ease of use drives sales. Productivity goes up. Nobody want to return to the past. This is good for business. Dispose of your stuff in a ECO- Friendly way! The fact is there is a warehouse in the Midwestern USA that accepts All Electronic Devices for storage and recycle. There are quite a few in North America alone. Here is one link: http://earth911.com/recycling/electronics/
How many items do you own that you can’t replace the battery in yourself. If you own an iPad 2nd or 3rd generation then you own at least 1.
I haven’t owned anything that a little web suffering didn’t show me how to order and relatively easily replace the battery. To design a device that is rated (by Apple) to last about 1000 charge cycles before it will be unusable and not allow for easy battery replacement is ridiculous.
“(after-all, the iPad 2 IS repairable – and its not that hard once you’ve done 4 or 5).”
Not all that helpful, especially as I was able to repair my first PC, 20 years ago, while never having seen the inside of one before – no need to have done 4 or 5.
I recently bought an iPad 3 to save toting my laptop, and having found that the Android apps I needed, while fine on my Android phone, simply sucked on a tablet, whereas the iPad apps are fine.
The much-vaunted Retina display, compared to my PC, laptop, and even my 10″ netbook displays, is distinctly ho-hum, and really doesn’t warrant all the hysteria, and the Jobsian obsession with sealed boxes points to serious mental health issues, and should have been buried with him, not perpetuated.
I knew the thing had no USB ports, but failed to realise just how quickly that would become a major pain in the butt – no printer access, for example – needing me to add Dropbox in very short order to transfer files to and from my PC.
The iPad 3 is great for social networking and email, which is what it’s primarily for, but browsing the Internet is a disaster, with so many Flash-powered sites around – the Flash paranoia should have been consigned to oblivion with Jobs too.
As for Apple being the most valuable company in the world, given how vastly overpriced their stuff is, is that really so surprising? I spent much of my working life as an industrial buyer – I’ve got a pretty good feel for when there’s the potential for being screwed, and the Apple alarm bells started ringing years ago. One reason, other than my iPad, I’ll be sticking to PCs and Android phones. At least the former is upgradable and repairable, and the latter won’t cost an arm and a leg to replace, if I have to.
I seriously love your work with the heat of a 1000 suns. Thank you for pointing out these important facts about apple design, sustainability and repairability. I have repaired my share of apple products with confidence because of your site, and I have enjoyed long life with all of my apple products because of it. I know that my ipad will not enjoy the same fate.
I knew the iPad was bad, but i never guessed it was so ugly.
These practices have to be changed, but even while I’m in this industry myself, I wouldn’t know where to start. Posts like these make it known that somewhere, some people care about this stuff.
I recently wrote an article about consumer electronics consistently breaking at the same spots. (http://www.krekr.nl/content/ubiquitous-planned-obsolescence-in-consumer-electronics/)
I’m glad Apple is doing relatively well on this front…
Nice I just got mine but I am not ready to tear it down! Thanks for doing the dirty work so I can see! You are SO AWESOME!!!!!
Apple? Who’s Apple?
Rather than leading responsibly, isn’t it time for Apple to get out of the way?
Apple will never prioritize repairability of their devices because they don’t want you to repair your iPad. They want you to buy the newest version. Apple doesn’t make any money on the secondary device market. They don’t make any money on replacement batteries or screens. They do make A LOT of money however on selling new devices. Apple is a corporation beholden to a corporate charter which legally binds them to increase profit quarter after quarter. I understand the desire to have more easily repairable and accessible devices, I just don’t foresee Apple moving in that direction at any point in the near future until their is a much larger call for it from their customer base.
While you make some good points, it has not and will not deter me from being the owner of the new iPad.
I’m all for repairability but you can’t make everything a priority. I’m curious to see, what would you give up for a more repairable iPad?
And no, I want them to do both. I want them to be free, but the reality is they cost money. In this case the reality is that Apple puts a premium on thin and simple. Both would, more than likely, be effected by making the device more repairable.
By the way, its not that its NOT repairable. Its just harder than you would like it to be.
If I was CEO of Apple I would make sure that every iPad functioned as long as possible. Sure I’d love to sell you a new one every year but I’d also like someone to use your old one and buy music on iTunes or apps in the appstore or even download free apps that all seem to have those little display ads at the bottom of the screen that Apple shares profit on. So if costs an extra $2 to ditch the double sided tape and use screws please do it! I’ll pay for them in the short term and Apple will make it back many times over in the long term.
According to the Apple link, http://www.apple.com/batteries/replacements.html battery replace after the end on warranty is possible. While I’m not happy Apple holds a lock on battery replacement, it is an option and perhaps reasonable in price? What would you estimate the value of the battery to be?
I see no difference in the repair from 2 to 3. I have done several and have gotten pretty good at them. The main repair I see is the broken glass. This makes it simple enough to heat the edges and simply chip the glass shards out carefully. The main concern remains to keep from damaging the extremely flimsy and paper-thin wi-fi antenna (adhesively secured between the glass AND the frame), as well as the fragile power/volume ribbon cable along the upper right corner. If I have a LCD repair I always have a glass included in the repair price cuz’ more than likely it will break in the process of removal. I have also discovered the metal “open sesame” tool that is the greatest tool to date over the cheap plastic spudgers. Good luck everyone and thanx’ to iFixit for taking a “bite” out of the Apple!
I think people need to realise that Apple isn’t sealing these up in order to prevent repair or in order to make people buy the next model. Jobs valued good design and simplicity so highly (he was, most likely, at least a little OCD), that if clean neat design meant the sacrifice of some small piece of functionality (a simple access system!) then so be it (after-all, the iPad 2 IS repairable – and its not that hard once you’ve done 4 or 5). And the only reason apple devices are so “nice” and “easy” to use is the high level of “integration”.
That said, glued down screens are probably not necessary – the ipad 1 tab style could be made to fit in the same size case…. It would not be aesthetically pleasing to Jobs – who felt that the bits you can’t see should be as well designed as the bits you can see… but he’s no longer around so…
Uhh…. Maybe Apple is doing what it is doing because people actually don’t care about repairing stuff and neither is Apple. They are selling Metric TONS of these ipads to a veracious crowd who doesn’t give a seconds thought to the impact to the environment. Honestly – if they piled EVERY SINGLE ipad ever made on an open field, I bet it couldn’t even be seen from space at all. It’s really not as big a problem as the environmentalist want us to believe. Just bury the damn things in the dessert of Arabia, and be done with it.
Good post, unfortunately we are a “next best thing” society whether we need it or not. I am writing this on my 4 year old MacBook Pro and actually would rather be writing it on my iBook G4 if I had not dumped coffee on it a while back and fried the mother board somewhere. Matter of fact I used ifixit to repair that iBook a number of times in the last 8 years. Apple unfortunately has changed to a company far more like Microsoft than they would like to admit. None of this would be acceptable in any other industry. Imagine if the changed the size and threading of your kitchen faucet connections every year! As long as we accept the purchase of devices made with slave labor from China this problem will not change. One thing could force US companies to return to repairability, and that is the limiting of raw materials like Rare Earth Metals being exported from China. This is occurring now and if it continues there will be more emphasis on reclaiming these materials from old devices. Currently industry manufacturing practices for electronics make recovery of these materials so difficult that it is not feasible. This could be easily changed if the initial design of these devices had recycling and reclaiming in mind. This has been occurring in the auto market for 100 years. Also every bit of scrap steel in this country is recycled (though some is actually shipped to China and recycled there).
None of this will occur until there is a mind-set change, and this change cannot occur without education, education cannot occur if people will not take the time to listen, people will not listen until they are forced to the precipice by severe shortages and high prices.
It’s false that “Apple doesn’t bother trying to replace the battery”. They do and they ask you around 100$. Batteries must be disposed in friendlily way: it’s the law.
This is part of a larger problem with stuff. Say you could easily replace the battery on the iPad. You might double or triple the useful life of the device. After that, it still will find itself in the bottom of the junk drawer along with Palm Treo PDA phones, power transformers, old broken mice, etc. As much as I enjoy my iPad, I realize it will eventually be consigned to that drawer, yet the books I have had for twenty or more years still work like new and most are still relevant. I scratch my head at this, while agreeing that all of this tech stuff needs to be repairable, upgradable, and ultimately recyclable.
For anyone who says there is no environmental impact do us all a favor and start up your car in a sealed garage and experience the impact for yourself, and raise the avg. IQ at the same time. Everything Apple does is manipulative in the worst way possible, because they do it without you even noticing, just like some of the most successful Cults in history. Not a slam, just a fact. They are responsible for abhorrent environmental damage while making it seem like they are green. They offer all the features in the world, while holding back the functionality you need and desire. They tout unparalled quality and ease of use, when they suffer from instability, crashes, regressions, and poor performance just like everyone else. All I want is sustainable technology that I can continue to use for years to come (like my Apple IIe, still in use today) with the features and functionality I desire (not something Steve Jobs thinks I need or will pay more for in 6 months). Thank you for exposing this now obvious fact that Apple does in fact stink, they just “Stink Different”.
This is just an Apple fan site – every other word is “I love Apple”, or “I am an Apple fan”. There is no incentive for Apple to change because they know that sites like yours will bend over backwards to buy their products no matter what. The only way that will change is if people who REALLY want to be able to repair their devices is to actually buy devices that are repairable rather than continuing to support Apples policies by buying their equipment.
@Tim. Was that directed at anyone in particular :S ??? Maybe you could demonstrate your technique so we can be sure how to do it? – oh… not a ‘slam’ :D
There is nothing to give up for repair ability the ipad 1 is a beautiful design and I prefer the flat edges over the rounded personally I’m sure you can fit all of that new ipad guts into the ipad 1 and the retna display and it would be at least easy enough to replace the glass
The bottom line is that nobody is forced to buy an Apple product. I can see why those products are revolutionary but there are several aspects about this company which I truly diislike I won’t give them a cent. It’s like a bad joke that a consumer cannot even replace a damn battery. I really wich consumers were more conscious in such respects.
buy the extended warranty and quit gripping
Apple like all U.S. companies only care about profits. This is why the U.S. is going downhill. Apple purposely makes these devices difficult to work on. There is only MORE money to be made from people who will go out and buy another one. Why do you think they are considered #1? It could be said they provide good jobs for the slave labor and their families in China. We all should be happy for them. After all, everyone here in the U.S. has money to burn. Buy the maximum warranty from Apple send back your I-Pad with a smile. What are you complaining for? Boost our economy –charge it or just write a new check for your replacement I-Pad and be happy you silly Americans.
Very interesting assortment of comments.
I have an iPad1 since Sep. 2010, no problems (constantly in the hands of young grandkids).
In Jan. 2012 I bought a Samsung Series 7 computer (Win 7 Pro). It is designed and assembled pretty much the same way as the iPad. It is about the same size, just wider due to the (dumm)10 x 9 format. Within a couple of days the lower left corner (landscape) of the glass was sticking up about 1/16″ over the frame. Samsung repaired.
BUT, it is beginning to stickup AGAIN. So much for repairability.
So, “to repair” or “not to repair”, that’s the question.
The value of the product is what a person is willing to pay. If apple want 499 for the new iPad and everybody paid the $499 then that is the cost. Now for apple to make a better design with environmental responsability and a product with more acces to be open will be happen when people start pushing the company. Apple it is he biggest company because people are willing to buy from them.
I don’t know why you would want to repair your own device. Guess that’s ok but do you repair the electronics on your car yourself? Also Apple has a recycling program see http://www.apple.com/recycling. The also give you a gift card if your device still has usability. Also, Apple has a remanufacturing program. The devices that are returned due to breakage or a battery problem or any other problem are then torn down and the reusable parts are then used to put together a “reman” product. I appreciate some of your concerns but please present all the facts in your “reporting” . Thanks.
They are following the Chinese mantra
“USE and THROW” don’t get it repaired, come back to us so we will skin you and charge you more,don’t learn technology but accept the way we give it to you…….
We all took a bite from Apple indeed. The unfortunate reality is that Apple is intentionality producing devices that everyone wants, break fairly easily, and are difficult to repair. This equates to profit which is ultimately what is running the company. Visionaries and engineers with a soul might wakeup to this and slip away from Apple. It just takes time and possibly another company or visionary to lead the way. What if iFixit became iMakeit?? :-p
Why did Apple start using pentalobe screws? So iFixit could make a profit selling screwdriver kits? No, they just don’t want us fixing “their” products and it shows with every new release. As they tighten their grip we will slip through their fingers.
I bought the original iPad a little over 2 years ago. It had been cared for and was never dropped. One day half of the screen went black. When I brought it in to the Apple Store for repair they told me a replacement would be ~$400. Unhappy with this I made the complaint that the battery wasn’t functioning properly at the time. The “battery replacement program” literally means they replace your iPad for a fee. They do not replace the battery then and there. When I asked where my old iPad would go they said back to the factory for refurbishing. Where I assume they would tear it down and recycle it or rebuild it with a new battery. Then put it back out there again for the “battery replacement program.”
This could be why they don’t want us fixing their products; they recoup them for refurbishing. Which I guess is another form of recycling… I digress.
Someone will make products more accessible, hackable, fixable, which is really where the action is for the Harry Tuttle types. Let’s just hope Apple doesn’t become Central Services*.
* See ‘Brazil’
There is so much bullshit, hate and propaganda here. Apple makes great products that last. Period. Yes, people get the occasional lemon, but Apple generally will replace these no questions asked. And, yes, people are careless and drop their devices, and sometimes they shatter. Get a no compromises warranty. They’re available.
I’m on my third iPhone, sold the original iPhone 1 on eBay two years after purchase still working like a champ. Sold the second, a 3GS, same way, still going strong. Wife finally upgraded her 3G after 3 years. It looks and works like the day she bought it. Have a PPC iMac still going strong, a MB Air that feels like a sculpture, and a new iMac that is a joy to use. Planned obsolescence is not the Apple way. Never has been. Period.
Apple builds the most durable consumer electronics available. Period. Is there room for improvement? Sure. But to charge them with environmental irresponsibility is naive. They are industry leaders in reducing the toxic load of devices, and of closing the loop with recycling. Few companies can compare with their track record. Every Mac I own is still usable to some extent, and some are 20+ years old. TO find a working PC more than several years old is nearly impossible. Yes, do create more easily serviceable devices, if it doesn’t detract from the design or function. Support more reusability through better repairability. But make no mistake that the reason they are the most valuable and innovative company on the planet is anything to do with planned obsolescence. When you are at the leading edge of the curve, and are actually steering that curve toward greater usability, you necessarily have cycles of outdated hardware. Nobody griping here would like it if any company stuck with old processors, old V?RAM, motherboards, etc. I’m grateful one company actually cares enough to consider the full range of design and impact considerations, and have enabled a far more creative culture than the competitors could dream of. There is only one leader.
Kind of wonder why all the hate and envy.
Which company doesn’t have this use and trash philosophy.
But there is one company whose product fetch extremely good value in the resale market and with better components than the rest – the one that proudly state designed in California and assembled in China.
This is the basic problem Apple products are not designed to be repaired by anyone other than Apple.
This is a basic problem with most consumer electronics, and Apple is not helping to reduce the problem at all instead they are doing like many others, adding to it.
The majority of consumer electronics is not easily repairable by any 3rd party shop.
Their are no design schematics or repair manuals for the electronics that are being produced and sold to the consumer.
No matter who makes the product that you’re using chances are the repair schematics and service manuals are not available to anyone other than the company that created it themselves.
This philosophy to save the company a few dollars creates a major pollution and landfill problem worldwide.
A throwaway society is wasteful and expensive and damaging to the environment.
Could you imagine if everything was like that? Cars, Houses, furniture, refrigerators, toys, could not be repaired except by the manufacturer.
well, basically it’s already happened. Most items cannot be repaired anymore unless someone took the time to reverse engineer it to figure out how was put together and then somehow find the parts or repair the broken parts that are causing a malfunction. This is why we don’t see hardly any more mom and pop fix-it shops.
So if you want to know where all Your money’ is going just look in the trash. that’s right, that printer that stopped working… It’s in the trash along with the monies spent when you bought it.
Until a global awakening happens people who make decisions for manufacturing companies are going to continue to profit in the short run of things by forcing people to buy new products and filling up our landfills with their junk “planned obsolescence”.
The long of it is that very little electronics is getting recycled or being repaired and our planet is becoming more and more toxic.
I wish I had a solution to this growing Pollution problem but every little bit we can do to slow down and recycle and possibly reuse electronics would be a blessing for generations to come.
God bless anyone who could make a difference.
Love is about making sacrifices for the betterment of others,
greed is about making sacrifices to benefit oneself.
Sincerely Michael,
This is one of the reasons I would never buy an Apple Product besides them being the only Company in this line that keeps on suing every other Manufacturer as if they are the “god” of Technology. NO THANKS,no matter how “Good” there products might be.??????
Apple has a recycling program.
OK, seriously how many of these devices do you think will really hit the trash heap? I mean, who throws away an iPad?!?! If you know of such an ignorant person that would just toss an iPad in the trash that has not been dropped from from a flying aircraft or run over by Hummer, please tell me where they live so I can go scrounge around in their garbage cans on trash pick up day! Give me an iPad with a shattered glass and I will fix it! If you can’t fix it yourself put it up on eBay and someone that can will give you money for it.
Seriously folks recycling an iPad means making it work again and putting it into the hands of a human that will benefit from it, not dropping it off at the Sims Recycle Center with your empty beer cans! Who would do that?!?!?!?!
As much as I appreciate this standpoint I think in this case the iFixit company is speaking more for its own interests than for the majority of customers and they ignore important aspects. The type of sealing Apple has chosen has three non-minor advantages:
1.) More protection for the components. Where a spudger can get through so can liquids (and external light). The adhesive provides a much better seal – not only against nerds.
2.) Much thinner manufacturing. Take a look at the picture at my G+ post:
The iPad2/3 front cover is at least 70% thinner than the cover of the iPad1 because it no longer needs to provide this holes (marked with the arrow in the picture) where the mounting tabs can snap in.
These dimensions may seem as not that important for the average user but for an industrial designer these are ‘worlds’. These 70% can be used for more important objectives like a smaller, thinner and more robust enclosure; more hardware, more battery.
We all have no idea how many iterations the design process goes through until a company like Apple accepts the fact that the new device gets 0,03 inches thicker.
There are definitely a lot more customers who are happy to say “Look how thin and light this is!” instead of “You won’t believe me how easy it is to exchange the battery. And it only takes about 20 minutes.”.
3.) Apple’s message to us all: “Stay the heck out of here!!”.
But if Apple would be really so possessed at keeping us out they would have already built their own manufacturing gear and servicing-tools. The iPhone 4S wouldn’t have any screws at all and you couldn’t open the case of an Mac Mini without at least destroying the shell.
Finally a closing comment on another statement made by iFixit:
– “If Apple ships one million iPads today, at 1.44 pounds each, that means 650 metric tons of unrepairable toxic iPad going out just today.”
Dear iFixit: You know this is nonsense. So why do you write this in the first place? You not only know that Apple has a recycling program per se – it should be obvious that Apple is reusing parts of it. At least it would make sense.
https://plus.google.com/114803535673127097372/posts/UHQjpZdumJR
I think the whole idea is about what their intention is. Are they intentionally using the means by makeing products with taward zero repairable to the end which is making more profits. Or their intention is something like highly integration would be more robust system which leads less repair ability. Or something in between. I remember read a news said iPad is much easier to assemble, compare with iPhone. That could be a factor
Apple just replaced my old used iPod Nano with a brand new Nano because the battery might catch fire. no questions asked. That kind of service lets Apple do what they want with repair-ability IMO
Environmental responsibility is more than offering a recycling program. Recycling doesn’t “close the loop”, as one comment said. It will not produce raw materials of the same quality that initially went into the production process, and recycling uses resources too. That’s why the first step of and responsible waste management is *avoiding* or *minimising* waste. If a production will never be repaired, only replaced, even with something so simple as a failing battery, it fails at that first step.
I think you should change your “repairability” rating to “packability”.
Because that’s what we’re really talking about.
Tell me, do you have a rating on repairability for a Rolex Watch?
No?
Because the level of precision, and standards of craftsmanship, of, say, a Swiss Watch are too much for any amateur to meet?
Apple is competing for business with lots of cheap knock-off products.
They do so by making a product that will be as durable and usable as possible, within reason.
They could go the Tonka-Toy approach and make an iPad 3/4 inch thick made of recyclable plastic.
But… no.
They could go the Heath-Kit approach and make an iPad with a rectangular metal box, made in pieces so it disassembles easily.
But… no.
Because either way, they’d lose business to the Android knock-off tablets.
And really, since Apple has a recycling program, a screen replacement program and offers battery replacement, there’s no reason they should go out of their way to satisfy the Heath-Kit crowd.
Screws come loose, eventually. Double-stick tape is more reliable because the surface area is much higher, and it’s more shock-resistant too.
Your objections are noted. And dismissed as silly.
Why do you say that these devices are destined for the landfill?
If it breaks or the battery wears out, Apple will take your iPad and give you a replacement and then recycle your old one themselves….Yes?
Do you think Apple sends old iPads to landfills or strips them for parts and materials?
Repair is an art — it can be hard to ensure that a repaired product is “equivalent to new”. Even if your product doesn’t need repairs (think Maytag), the repair depots need staff and the staff require training. After you train them you have to pay them enough for sitting around to keep them from getting jobs repairing stuff that does break (think medical equipment, avionics, etc.).
We are entering an era in which many goods are not repairable, even car engines: . Non-repairable goods can be made more cheaply and more reliable. If the failure rate is very low, replacement is better than repair. The cost to Apple of making an iPod is a fraction of the selling price, so if there are few failures they don’t need to spend anything on repairs — just replace with a new unit. In my experience, many “defective” products don’t have any hardware faults, only software bugs or mis-configuration, so in fact many returned units can be made “like new” with a software refresh, something that can be automated and does not require highly trained staff.
Hi everyone. I have a 2007 Mac Book Pro (Santa Rosa) and still running strong. I my daughter accidentally dropped it one on the corner where the hard disk resides and in time I had to replace it. I did it my self. The only other issue was the video card, but Apple took care of that since my model came like that from factory and the repair just cost me 35 bucks. I use any technology that works for me. I like Apple products because of it’s like a tootsie roll. It last a long time. I might when I get the chance purchase a new MBP in the future with more power since I use Photoshop and Lightroom a lot and that extra power can come in handy. I have I fixit bookmarked, because I admire a company that can give you an option to fix something if it’s fixable. By the way…. even though some things can be true, the whole Foxcomm thing in China is false and they had to make a major retract.
Huh, what is the population % that repairs their own electronics? I guess less than 5% ? Why would Apple sacrifice design for repairability? Your logic doesn’t make sense. Anyhoo, let Apple handle the repair, if your product is within warranty, they just give you a refurbished one, no need to repair anything.
Although I believe that the argument you bring up is valid and I like many people who visit your site like to break things down and fix them (most of the time). The vast majority of people who get a new Apple device just pass the previous version they had down to a family member or relative. I’ve never personally witnessed someone just “throw away” an Apple product. Even when the product is broken I always see stuff on craigslist or eBay with people selling them for parts. I would love for Apple to let people have access to these cool products so that we may tinker around but I don’t see that happening soon however I don’t entirely agree that this is encouraging a certain “throw-away” mentality. I still own a few older PowerBooks that I don’t want to part with regardless of their lack of functionality.
As much as I admire those who pass on their old devices to the next generation, if companies make it as difficult as possible to make simple repairs then obsolesence/throwing away is inevitable eventually, planned or not. Who is going to pay Apple up to $100 to fix an old iPad after 5 years when they can put that money towards the latest model?
Maybe in the us apple can fix your broken screen or replace your battery, but outhere, they just say they’re sorry, but that is not covered by the warranty. Even if you let it very clear that you are willing to pay for it, seems like they don’t offer any other services outside the US. And guess how many of their devices are sold in the US compared with the ones they sell outside. I’m talking specifically about the iphone and ipad. You can go to a local Apple Store to get your Macbook or your ipod touch repaired, but for your iphone and ipad, you have to go directoy to the 1-800 number to get them to say all you can do is cry about it, cause they’re not fixing it at any cost. Ypu can go to the www site and place your fixing order, but they will keep canceling it after 2 or 3 days, even if you set clear that you will cover any costs envolved. That’s why I’ve had to repair my devices by miself and that’s why I bought an Acer Iconia A500 better. Since then 2 friends of mine have sold their ipads and replace them with an A500 and 3 of them bought an A500 instead of the new iPad. After using it a few months, you grab an iPad and feels like you’re using a toy because an A500 can replace your laptop and an iPad can’t. In fact i have never connected my Iconia to a Computer because there’s no need to do so. Why will you connect a computer to another??? But on the other hand, if all you do with your iPad is play games, then they’re the exact same thing and there are more games available for the iPad, at least for now. PS If i won an ipad 3 i wouldn’t hesitate to sell it and keep using my A500.
Battery charging: This just points to how important it is to manage the way the iPads are re-charged, making sure they are done using the correct USB charging profile. If we just top-up the batteries or re-charge too frequently, the battery’s life cycle will be reduced and, for schools and other institutions, this could be a huge expense. A charging hub that is designed for Apple’s power profile requirements can help. We are using a 16-port charging hub (http://www.ipadcarts.com/solutions/DS-IP-PP16.htm) that is excellent and have noticed that our oldest iPads are still OK.
OK, yes you are right and no, you are wrong.
Oh sure it would be nice if Apple make a unit that looked like a suitcase and repairs were as easy (remember the mac tower? Flip a switch and the whole side just flipped open?) But we also want the unit to be super thin, not pop open by accident, etc, etc.
One last item. Please consider that Apple repair places may just have better tools than your heat gun and plastic tip tool. I can just picture a heating jig that you run the iPad thru that focuses heat on the seal material, as it comes out the other side, gloved hands gently lift the glass sections off and disconnect them. The battery would also come right off (once the adhesive is heated to the right temp.)
I have spent many years in electronics build and repair and trust me, the right tools make many jobs much easier.
en
Nate, March 16th wrote: “It’s really not as big a problem as the environmentalist want us to believe. Just bury the damn things in the dessert of Arabia, and be done with it.”
Include the amount of “invisible resources” (bauxite, oil, silicon, water, lithium) used to produce one iPad and I’ll bet _I_ can see it from space (and I don’t know how good your eyesight is, but you might too ;)
It really makes no difference if you can repair it or not. I highly highly highly doubt that the 1% of people who literally throw their broken iDevice in the trash (as compared with the 99% that resell the broken device to someone, hold onto it forever, or take it to Apple for refurb/recycle) makes any difference at all. The net difference in trash produced due to their design practice being what it is is going to be nil compared to say, Wal-Mart, or the trash bag conspiracy (you place your dirty trash in a clean and not environmentally friendly plastic bag and then put that bag into a dirty trash bin). They’re going to make new devices even if they were more repairable. They would also need to have parts created just for you, packaged in boxes or other plastic packaging, shipped out to stores so you can get them, etc. No one is throwing their iPad away because a new one came out. That’s absurd. The only reason you’re picking on Apple is to get clicks. Wal-Mart is far far worse than Apple when it comes to creating a disposable culture. I’m willing to bet more people throw away bic lighters and pens than Apple products. Of course it’s impossible to hate on bic lighters though.
Great points. I found the iPad an amazing tool for autistic children. Unfortunately, I have encountered an awful lot of melt downs when children have accidentely dropped iPods as well as iPads.
Seems silly to create such helpful apps for these children then makes the tool so fragile
I have been using Apple Computers since the Apple II europlus, and do apple tech support for a living, I was evangelist for a long time and helped recruit many johnny come latelys to the party. But to be honest Apple are pretty evil as concerns this stuff nowadays, their marketing is extreme and over the top, and their supposedly unparrallel’d design cant be that great if the design doesn’t include the ability to repair, upgrade or easily recycle the components, like most design today its form second and functional customer orientated design third, and primarily supreme profit margins first, the volume in which their selling and premium for which they charge, they need to listen more to their customers, I certainly no longer wholeheartedly recommend apple to people on limited budgets who want upgradeability , Their sony like walled garden money making cash till mentality is also wearing. The computing arena is supposed to enable people and develop their understanding and save them time, the postpc era is generally becoming a new form of media based entertainment distraction device anyway.
Well… The Asus Transformer Prime can be opened easily for repairs and improvements. Various Videos show that already.
The risk of even scratching the device in the process is very slim.
Apple knows the software/hardware ease of use drives sales. Productivity goes up. Nobody want to return to the past. This is good for business. Dispose of your stuff in a ECO- Friendly way! The fact is there is a warehouse in the Midwestern USA that accepts All Electronic Devices for storage and recycle. There are quite a few in North America alone. Here is one link: http://earth911.com/recycling/electronics/
http://ifixit.org/1863/three-ways-we-hoped-the-ipad-would-be-better-but-wasnt/
link just sent to tim@apple.com with my +1 :)
This message was sent to tcook@apple.com today:
“Dear Tim and Apple designers,
Please view this video for the design of Apple’s future products.
I think repairability should be one of the major concerns of a leading company such as Apple today.
http://youtu.be/cGvijW0lmzo from http://ifixit.org/1863/three-ways-we-hoped-the-ipad-would-be-better-but-wasnt/
+1
Thank you for taking my opinion in account.
Alliocha
How many items do you own that you can’t replace the battery in yourself. If you own an iPad 2nd or 3rd generation then you own at least 1.
I haven’t owned anything that a little web suffering didn’t show me how to order and relatively easily replace the battery. To design a device that is rated (by Apple) to last about 1000 charge cycles before it will be unusable and not allow for easy battery replacement is ridiculous.
Ofc you want it to be easy then you will sell more ifixit kits….. im just saying.
“(after-all, the iPad 2 IS repairable – and its not that hard once you’ve done 4 or 5).”
Not all that helpful, especially as I was able to repair my first PC, 20 years ago, while never having seen the inside of one before – no need to have done 4 or 5.
I recently bought an iPad 3 to save toting my laptop, and having found that the Android apps I needed, while fine on my Android phone, simply sucked on a tablet, whereas the iPad apps are fine.
The much-vaunted Retina display, compared to my PC, laptop, and even my 10″ netbook displays, is distinctly ho-hum, and really doesn’t warrant all the hysteria, and the Jobsian obsession with sealed boxes points to serious mental health issues, and should have been buried with him, not perpetuated.
I knew the thing had no USB ports, but failed to realise just how quickly that would become a major pain in the butt – no printer access, for example – needing me to add Dropbox in very short order to transfer files to and from my PC.
The iPad 3 is great for social networking and email, which is what it’s primarily for, but browsing the Internet is a disaster, with so many Flash-powered sites around – the Flash paranoia should have been consigned to oblivion with Jobs too.
As for Apple being the most valuable company in the world, given how vastly overpriced their stuff is, is that really so surprising? I spent much of my working life as an industrial buyer – I’ve got a pretty good feel for when there’s the potential for being screwed, and the Apple alarm bells started ringing years ago. One reason, other than my iPad, I’ll be sticking to PCs and Android phones. At least the former is upgradable and repairable, and the latter won’t cost an arm and a leg to replace, if I have to.