A year ago, the iFixit website took their screwdrivers in their hands and tore down the Surface with Windows RT (now known simply as Surface), tearing apart Microsoft's first tablet to see how easily it could be repaired. Ultimately, the site gave it a rating of 4 out of 10; in other words, difficult but not impossible. Later, the site gave the Surface Pro a 1 out of 10 repairability rating, and now it appears the Surface Pro 2 retains the repairability issues as its predecessor, as it's kept the same rating.
iFixit's recently posted teardown of the Windows 8.1-Intel Haswell-based product and, according to its findings, the Surface Pro 2 will be hard for anyone, even experienced repair workers, to fix.
One of the reasons? The tablet has a whopping 90 screws. As the site states, "Mechanical fasteners are great, but frankly, we draw the line at 89." Glue is used quite a bit to keep major components in place, such as the display and battery. iFixit also says that just opening the tablet is a heart stopper, saying that if one mistake is made "you'll likely shear one of the four ribbon cables in the edge of the display."
The site's 1 out of 10 rating for the Surface Pro 2 means it's unlikely most users will want to even attempt repairing the tablet. Instead, it appears Microsoft remains the only realistic option should the tablet break.
Source: iFixit | Images via iFixit
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