The Apple Pencil is one of those Apple devices that is almost impossible to repair, so could anything top it? Why yes, the iPad Pro keyboard accessory, of course.
The folks at iFixit already ripped apart the Apple Pencil and the iPad Pro to test how best these devices can be repaired should the need arise. The Apple Pencil received a terrible score, while the iPad Pro is what one would have expected.
When it came down to tearing down the Smart keyboard accessory, iFixit came across a few problems that show Apple has created a keyboard with zero repairability. Yes, that's right, should something go wrong with the Smart Keyboard, no one outside of Apple will be able to repair it.
According to iFixit, it is not possible to tear down the Smart Keyboard without damaging it. If there's an issue, trying to get inside would just make things worse. From the images iFixit has provided, we can see that removing the top actually caused some of the keys to break off.
Once the keyboard is ripped apart, it is not possible to put it back together again. A very Humpty Dumpty design choice by Apple here, something that should not have come as a surprise to anyone who has used Apple products before.
There's not much to be done here with this device, so if it breaks, users will have no choice but to purchase a new one or wage their warranty rights.
With hardware becoming thinner, these issues will continue to increase and might reach a point where users no longer care about repairability, but only focus on whether the build quality of future devices is robust enough.
"While durable, the keyboard is impossible to open without damaging, meaning no internal components can be replaced without destroying the device," according to iFixit in a final statement about the Apple Smart Keyboard accessory for the iPad Pro.
The Apple iPad Pro, the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, are available right now via the Apple Store.
