Last week Apple presented a bunch of new iMac computers with new 4K and 5K displays. The change affected all 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models and was welcome by the Apple community.
Unfortunately it turns out that these really expensive computers cannot be repaired if something happens to them. The folks at the iFixit web site have torn several new iMac computers apart to see what’s inside them and if it can be repaired. The results are far from good – the new 21.5-inch iMac comes with a 4K display that has been made by LG. The resolution is so high that the naked human eye cannot see any separate pixels. While this may be good the protective glass on top of the display cannot be removed so if something happens to the screen you are out of luck. In addition Apple has had the Intel processors inside soldered to the motherboard, which means you cannot upgrade the CPU. The same is true for the RAM memory so you cannot upgrade the RAM or replace a faulty memory module. Apart from this the iFixit team has found hardware made by Vimicro, Winbond, Delta, Intersil, Cirrus Logic and other hardware manufacturers.
The new iMac accessories that came along with the computers were tested as well – we are talking about Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Mouse 2. These peripheral devices are also very hard to fix – many parts inside are shared among the three devices including the batteries. The problem with these devices is that they use a lot of glue and the risk of damaging something while opening them is very high.
Obviously Apple wants you to get a new mouse or even a new iMac if something goes wrong. And this is always bad news for end users.
Source: iFixit.com