Tech
Apple AirPods TearDown: A Perfect Zero For Apple AirPods On The Repairability Score
Shreya
First Posted: Dec 22, 2016 04:30 AM EST
The penalty for buying something worth $159 which scores a perfect zero on the repairability score- at least $69; this is Apple AirPods for you!
iFixit's gadget teardown experts have rated Apple's new AirPods on the repairability score, and it is the lowest possible score of 0 on a scale of 10 (where 10 is the easiest to repair). On the engineering front, Apple has been impressive, yet again! Each earbud weighs only 4g, comes with a great wireless design, has great audio quality, and easily pairs with iOS devices. But if you have to disassemble and repair, it is very much unlike Apple.
Everything inside is secured with a good dose of glue. The internal packing is such that accessing internal components is "impossible without destroying the outer casing." According to reports, iFixit needed a curved razor blade with scalpel-like precision to get up in the buds. This is indeed too much pain!
The tiny battery and the antenna are in the "stem" of the earbud; the ring on the bottom acts as the charging contact, concealing the microphone. Definitely, not tough to imagine that you have disassembled a non-repairable device. The same is the story with the charging case of the AirPods. More bad news! X-ray imagery suggests that Apple rushed the AirPods production leading to sub-par soldering; and this might well impact the longevity of the device. However, this yet to be seen.
Since you cannot fix your AirPods, it might be expensive for you, if you need to get them repaired. You will have to end up relying on the included 1-year warranty that Apple provides; but apparently, it seems that the warranty covers only manufacturing defects. And, this one will not be covered here. So, you end up having a wireless functionality that vows, but earbuds that do not!
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First Posted: Dec 22, 2016 04:30 AM EST
The penalty for buying something worth $159 which scores a perfect zero on the repairability score- at least $69; this is Apple AirPods for you!
iFixit's gadget teardown experts have rated Apple's new AirPods on the repairability score, and it is the lowest possible score of 0 on a scale of 10 (where 10 is the easiest to repair). On the engineering front, Apple has been impressive, yet again! Each earbud weighs only 4g, comes with a great wireless design, has great audio quality, and easily pairs with iOS devices. But if you have to disassemble and repair, it is very much unlike Apple.
Everything inside is secured with a good dose of glue. The internal packing is such that accessing internal components is "impossible without destroying the outer casing." According to reports, iFixit needed a curved razor blade with scalpel-like precision to get up in the buds. This is indeed too much pain!
The tiny battery and the antenna are in the "stem" of the earbud; the ring on the bottom acts as the charging contact, concealing the microphone. Definitely, not tough to imagine that you have disassembled a non-repairable device. The same is the story with the charging case of the AirPods. More bad news! X-ray imagery suggests that Apple rushed the AirPods production leading to sub-par soldering; and this might well impact the longevity of the device. However, this yet to be seen.
Since you cannot fix your AirPods, it might be expensive for you, if you need to get them repaired. You will have to end up relying on the included 1-year warranty that Apple provides; but apparently, it seems that the warranty covers only manufacturing defects. And, this one will not be covered here. So, you end up having a wireless functionality that vows, but earbuds that do not!
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone