The most elusive mystery in the world of repair sites is solved by iFixit 10th-gen iPadIts latest teardown video.
Reviewers were skeptical when Apple announced the new iPad in Oct. I am baffled and frustrated by Apple’s decision to support the 1st-gen Apple Pencil (from way back in 2015) rather than the superior 2nd-gen model released in 2018. This was an unusual choice, as the iPad switched from Lightning to USBC in 2015, so it was necessary for the user to connect the stylus to a dongle.
There’s been lots of speculation about why Apple chose this strategy, including a rumor that a more suitable 3rd-gen Apple Pencil was Originally, it was to launchsimultaneously. But most people assumed the decision had something to do with the new position of the iPad’s front-facing camera, which now lies on the same edge where the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil would attach magnetically when charging.
By opening up the tablet’s chassis and revealing the positions of the magnets and camera unit, iFixit’s teardownIt seems that this theory is confirmed.
“The claim is that Apple couldn’t fit the wireless charging assembly for the Pencil Gen 2 in here, because that’s where the landscape camera now sits, and as we can see, this seems to be the case,” explains the presenter. “As it stands, the magnets on the Apple Pencil Gen 2 don’t quite line up with the iPad 10’s magnets.
“If [the wireless charging coil]You could theoretically attach a Pencil here, but the wireless charging coil might interfere with magnet placement. It’s a bit of a Catch 22 and it’s something that the Apple engineers are no doubt working on figuring out.”
iFixit has mixed opinions about the interior design of the new iPad. The site reserves its strongest criticism for the repairability of the USB-C ribbon, which “is welded to the logic board, which is a huge design fail. Components exposed to high mechanical wear should always be modular.”
iFixit notes that this isn’t a new failing with Apple’s tablets, but is still disappointed that Apple hasn’t improved matters.
