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CB98

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 6, 2018
278
105
In your experience have you found the magnets in the keyboard cases and iPad itself to wear out? I’m asking because with the new case design, both the folio and keyboard folio cases rely solely on magnets to keep it attached to the back...
 
Apple has been using the magnets for awhile. Its in the older ones. The only problem you could have is the wear and tear on the case itself and not the magnets.
 
It's not that ridiculous a question. Magnets CAN wear out and lower their level of magnetism, aka becoming weaker. It's a known thing to happen. Case in point there is a capsule based coffee maker that has a magnetic swimmer to determine whether there is water in the tank. All of them basically "break" after 2-3 years. Smart people take out the magnet and, with the help of another magnet, restore the original levels of magnetism.

To get back on topic... I've not experienced these issues with magnets Apple uses.
 
If Apple is using good quality magnets (I'm sure they are) then the magnets should FAR out last any iPad you would ever buy.

My worry is always whether or not all those magnets have any ill effect on the internals or screen of the iPad, but I guess it's not really my job to worry about stuff like that. They obviously have it figured out.
 
As has been mentioned already magnets can - do actually become weaker over time.
As I'm feeling chatty, here's a couple of facts to put the OP's mind at rest.

A Neodymium magnet for instance (as I'd think it's what Apple will be using) will lose somewhere between 1% and 5% of its strength every 100 years or so - so they're probably going to outlast the iPad.

The two main factors (other than centuries of time) which can affect the strength of a magnet are heat and corrosion.

Heat is unlikely to be a factor, depending on the type and grade of magnet they easily withstand 80 - 350 degrees Centigrade (Ahem, showing my age, I do of course mean Celsius these days :D)

Corrosion too shouldn't be an issue. The worst corrosion occurs when a magnet cracks and water is allowed to seep inside it. Over a period of time the magnet will rust and its performance will be lessened. Again that shouldn't be a problem, if your iPad is filling up with water - that's the bit to worry about :)

So, no, in all practical terms for an iPad, the magnets will not wear out. Don't worry about it.
 
The short answer is definitely no, but overtime magnets do chip and wear. With the opening and closing of certain cases, they can actually get smaller because of such which will again decrease its perceived strength. But not by much.
I know this isn't the topic of choice here but iPad magnetic charging cables are also an option for protecting the charging port on your iPad or phone. As someone who has had to deal with more than one port repair, I definitely recommend it.
 
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