November 16, 2024

iFixit Teardown of the New Fourth Generation iPad [Photos]

Posted November 2, 2012 at 4:53am by iClarified · 14672 views
iFixit has posted its teardown of the new fourth generation iPad.

We got our hands on the fourth generation of iPad; we shall call it iPad 4. The iPad 4 is kind of like a fourth book added on to a trilogy: its release was a bit sudden and unexpected, but it's a part of the group, nonetheless. This fourth iteration of iPad shares a lot of similarities with the previous version, so instead of our traditional, exploratory teardown, we're going to play "spot the differences" by illustrating all the changes from the last generation.

Highlights:
● Quad-core Apple A6X processor
● The iPad 4 has a new model number, A1458.
● The new iPad LCD is manufactured by LG.
● 3.7 V, 43 Whr battery.
● 1.2MP Facetime HD camera, with the ability to shoot 720p HD video.

iPad 4 Repairability Score: 2 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair)
● The LCD is easy to remove once the front panel is gone.
● The battery is not soldered to the logic board, making the replacement process a tad less difficult.
● Just like in the iPad 2 & 3, the front panel is glued to the rest of the device, greatly increasing the chances of cracking the glass when trying to remove it.
● Gobs, gobs, and gobs of adhesive hold everything in place, including the prone-to-start-a-fire-if-punctured battery.
● The LCD has foam sticky tape adhering it to the front panel, increasing chances of it being shattered during disassembly.
● You can't access the front panel's connector until you remove the LCD.

Take a look at a few images below or hit the link for the full teardown.

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