The iPad Air has a new look to it, weighing just one pound and being significantly thinner than its iPad predecessors. But how does it differ on the inside? Tech Republic contributor Bill Detwiler recently tackled a teardown of the device and found some pretty significant internal alterations.
For one, the entire interior has been switched around. The battery and the motherboard for the device have flipped sides from other iPad versions. Apple also reduced the capacity of the battery in the iPad Air, making it a two-cell, 32.9 watts per hour charge, compared to the three-cell, 42.5 watts an hour in pervious iterations. However, the company made sure not to lose any battery life, as it increased efficiency in other areas. The iPad Air also comes with the latest A7 processor, bumping up from the A5 in older devices, and is also running the M7 motion co-processor.
To make it thinner, Apple decided to reduce the thickness of the LCD screen and the front panel. These design changes make it 20 percent slimmer than other iPad generations.
According to What Mobile, IHS recently tore down the device to see what the production costs were for the company. They found it to be significantly lower than the iPad 3, coming in $42 dollars cheaper than that version. The teardown found that it costs Apple $279 to produce, with the display is the most expensive part at $90.
However, the design doesn't come without some flaws, especially regarding how difficult the iPad Air is to service.
“Most internal components and cables are attached to the metal case with adhesive and many components are part of a multi-part assembly,” Detwiler wrote. “These construction methods make removing or replacing damaged parts extremely difficult, if not impossible.”
Therefore, any iPad repair should be handled by technicians. IResQ has plenty of experts able to handle all types of iPad service.