Apple’s newest iPad 10, designed to appeal to consumers with lower incomes, has a few surprises, not all of which are good. Although it has powerful hardware and a fresh design, the most recent iFixit teardown shows that while there may be similarities between the tablet and the 2020 iPad Air, this does not imply that Apple has also incorporated the most recent technologies.
The landscape camera on the iPad 10 takes up space that could have been used to wirelessly charge the Apple Pencil. Apple’s iPad 10 relies on a side-mounted power button that also serves as a fingerprint reader in place of a physical home button.
The way customers charge the Apple Pencil is probably one of their biggest complaints, even though a design change is always welcome, according to iFixit. This issue is brought on by the slate’s new front-facing camera, which is mounted in a landscape orientation.
Instead, to charge the first-generation Apple Pencil, customers have to purchase a separate accessory that costs $9.00 on Apple’s website, which should, no doubt, be a frustrating endeavor.
iFixit also found that the USB-C port is soldered to the logic board, which will make repairs difficult for third-party personnel since aftermarket parts are not available for the iPad 10 at the moment.
The only drawback is that the logic board, which houses the A14 Bionic SoC, is glued to the chassis, making it necessary to remove it before accessing the battery, which does not sound like a process that is conducive to repairs.
Overall, iFixit’s teardown suggests that the iPad 10 would make more sense if some components were simple to repair. Customers might find that offer more alluring given that Apple continues to offer the iPad 9 at a lower price.
