iFixit reveals why the iPad 10 isn’t compatible with Apple’s latest stylus

iFixit has made a specialty of meticulously dismantling all Apple products and the company’s latest tablet is no exception to the rule. In a YouTube video posted Dec. 1, the electronics repair site sets its sights on the iPad 10, Apple’s supposedly affordable tablet.

Pencil 2 mystery solved

During our tests, we praised Apple’s efforts to upgrade its tablet to 2022 standards (including the integration of a USB-C port), but we also regretted that the gadget was not compatible with the Second-generation Apple Pencil, more convenient for doodling or taking notes. The disassembly of the tablet by iFixit makes it possible to understand why Apple made this choice.

The iPad 10 is the first slate from Apple to position its photo module on the long edge so that it can be used more easily in video calls. But as we can see once the machine is disassembled, this module takes the place of the wireless charger of the 2nd generation Apple Pencil, found on the iPad Air 5. It is also impossible to install this very small component. on the opposite edge, because that’s where the external keyboards plug in. As for the short edge, one houses the USB-C port and the other the power button which also serves as a fingerprint sensor.

Halftone repairability

There is therefore simply no place for this small component, which is essential to the use of the new Apple Pencil. What iFixit doesn’t explain is why the first-generation Apple Pencil can’t be used while charging through its awkward dual adapter.

On the rest of the teardown, iFixit hands out the good and bad points. The USB-C port, soldered to the motherboard, is not the type to reassure the site, which reminds us that all the mechanical parts of an electronic device should be easy to change, because they are the ones that wear out the most. quick. The glass of the iPad is not fused to the screen, which makes it easier to replace the various parts. Unfortunately, if the adhesive of the battery is easily removed thanks to a few sticky elastic strips, replacing this part first requires dismantling the motherboard which is generously glued to the skeleton of the tablet.

Philosophically, iFixit also wonders about the interest of releasing an iPad 10 that looks like two drops of water to the iPad Air 4. By multiplying the products with slight differences, Apple seems to be pushing consumption rather than advising the iPad Air 4 and to reduce its range of devices in order to engage in a more ecological approach.