Microsoft Surface Pro Earns Repairability Score of 1/10 from iFixit

[MacRumors]

The iFixit team today tore apart the Microsoft Surface Pro, which began showing up in stores last week, to reveal what's inside of the PC/tablet hybrid. Microsoft has touted the Surface Pro's power and compact design, which has come at the cost of easy consumer access to the device.

As it turns out, the Surface Pro is sealed with what iFixit termed "a metric duckload" of adhesive, which took more than an hour to overcome.

We tried every method we could think of to free the display, including cutting the adhesive -- to no avail. This Pro required a pro method, and thankfully we had the required heat gun and guitar picks ready.

The black glue we found around the perimeter looks like tar, and is unbelievably close in function, appearance, and smell to its road-paving cousin.

Because of the adhesive, which holds both the battery and the display in place, and the more than 90 screws that hold the Surface Pro together, the tablet earned itself a repairability rating of 1/10. As TechCrunch notes, that is even less than Apple's iPad, which scored a 2/10 in repairability.

The battery is not soldered to the tablet so it is technically removable, but iFixit warns that removing the battery or upgrading the SSD might kill the tablet because of the proximity of several cables. Other highlights of the teardown include:

The removable Micron RealSSD C400 we found inside is responsible for the 64 GB of storage capacity. The tiny 1.8? form factor SSD can read at 500MB/s and write at 95 MB/s. Digging a little deeper, we found that a Marvell 88SS9174 SSD processor keeps all those Micron flash ICs running smoothly.

This Surface Pro is all party in the front, business in the back -- cooling business that is. Two small fans help this Pro keep its cool.

Microsoft spared no expense when it came to keeping the Surface Pro going. They sourced the Cadillac of batteries from LG: an Escalade 42 Wh unit. The battery is rated for 7.4 V and 5676 mAh. Impressive specs? Note that the iPad 4 has a 43 Wh battery, albeit at 3.7 V. Even with all this battery juice, the reported battery life of the Surface Pro is less than 5 hours.

iFixit declared some of Microsoft's choices, like the glued-in battery "completely unnecessary." Apple's products have been similarly criticized by the site in the past, such as the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, which also received a repairability score of 1 out of 10.

Article Link: Microsoft Surface Pro Earns Repairability Score of 1/10 from iFixit

 

[camnchar]

"A metric duckload" is now my favorite phrase.

 

[iMikeT]

And you thought Apple products were hard to repair.....

 

[flashPUNK]

Amazing.

 

[iAppl3Fan]

I suppose that's expected given that the form factor is so small and compact.

 

[jav6454]

Something as small as that was obviously hard to fix.

 

[Michasss8]

I've heard that repairing iPad is very hard...

Good Job Microsoft!

 

[maflynn]

Not surprising these tablets are scoring so low from ifixit the way companies are trying to squeeze so much into such a small enclosure.

 

[macnerd93]

The circuit board looks so crude & poorly made in comparison to the MacBook Air/Pro.

 

[OllyW]

"A metric duckload" is now my favorite phrase.

I thought you used "Imperial duckloads" in the USA?

 

[Mac21ND]

The Cadillac of battery's model is actually called the 'Escalade.'

I think I'll wait for the Escalade Denali battery before buying one.

 

[camnchar]

Not surprising these tablets are scoring so low from ifixit the way companies are trying to squeeze so much into such a small enclosure.

iFixit is probably more than a little irritated about the difficulty of self-repair, since a lot of their site is devoted to helping you repair your own devices. No possibility of self-repair -> fewer page views -> less ad revenue.

 

[coolbreeze]

I was planning on getting a 64gig from Staples for $825 and tossing in a 256gb mSATA, but after seeing that terrifying autopsy, I'm out.

And please, let's stop with the "lol, look at how hard it is to open - MSFT FAIL" as it's not like the iPad is any easier.

 

[iPusch]

iPad has 11'500 mAh
I am still amazed by that, why didn't they put a bigger battery in the Surface, I thought its much thicker, are the fans really that thick?! Mehh

 

[Ryth]

This should only 'validate' Apple's design/build/choices.

Now people can start 'bitching' about MS and their non-upgradable devices because they want people to buy new in 2 years.

 

[Kranchammer]

I thought you used "Imperial duckloads" in the USA?

This is a misconception. We use standard duckloads, which is based on how many ducks a duckmongerer in 1745 could fit in a hogshead, as opposed to imperial duckloads, which is based on how many ducks a duckmongerer could fit in a hogshead in 1817.

 

[macsrcool1234]

The circuit board looks so crude & poorly made in comparison to the MacBook Air/Pro.

Yeah because as we all know the MBA/MBP circuit boards are made of the same material as Cylon ships....give me a break

 

[Rocketman]

It is interesting to see how a wintel bigot designs a "thin" laptop. With two fans!!

We used asphalt for rocket fuel. In 1953!

Rocketman

 

[Rogifan]

And you thought Apple products were hard to repair.....

Will be waiting to see if MS gets dinged the same way Apple has in the past. Will Kyle Wiens pen a letter to Panos Panay whining about him not following Dieter Rams 10 principles for good design like he did with Jony Ive?

 

[coolfactor]

And please, let's stop with the "lol, look at how hard it is to open - MSFT FAIL" as it's not like the iPad is any easier.

Telling yourself to stop, are ya? You're the first one to say that.

 

[Mac21ND]

Yeah because as we all know the MBA/MBP circuit boards are made of the same material as Cylon ships....give me a break

I always thought the pulsing sleep light was a little worrisome. Now I know why.

 

[iRockApple]

personally I feel as thogh iFixit is becoming pointless. Devices these days (especially mobile devices like phones and tablets) are not made to allow the consumer to tinker with its' inards. They are becoming core and more complex and the average user should not even attempt to self fix one.

 

[Shrink]

I thought you used "Imperial duckloads" in the USA?

Excuse me, we here in The Totally Egalitarian And Never Imperialistic United States Of American don't use "Imperial" anything. We are a Democracy, and even to imply that we would use that word that smacks of Colonialism (e.g. England) and is just not the American Way!!


(And if you believe any of the crap above, I have a Bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell to you.)

 

[Small White Car]

Good.

It's about time these tech sites switch from saying "Apple is unreasonable and mean!" to the far more accurate "These are the kind of devices the public clearly wants, and that makes us tech-nerds mad!"

 

[Ryth]

Will be waiting to see if MS gets dinged the same way Apple has in the past. Will Kyle Wiens pen a letter to Panos Panay whining about him not following Dieter Rams 10 principles for good design like he did with Jony Ive?

Of course they wont. Everyone will be going to this 'non-upgradable' design but only Apple will get the negative press about it.