Apple iPad 5: iFixit reveals the secrets to the tablet’s low price

The new Apple iPad (The iPad 5?) was launched with little fanfare and a massive price drop. Apple dropped the price of the device by a third, upgraded the processor to an A9, added Touch ID and promised a brighter screen. How did it manage all of this?

Well, as it turns out, the most obvious answer is the correct one. Apple simply built a cheaper iPad from cheaper materials.

Teardown expert iFixit recently applied their skills to the new iPad. They ripped the device apart and separated it into its core components. Their discoveries reveal a lot about the iPad’s low price. The new iPad sells for around $329 (around Rs 21,000). The iPad Air 2 was priced at $499 (around Rs 32,500).

One of these is a 2013 iPad Air and the other a 2017 iPad. Can you tell which is which?
Image: iFixit

The first thing that iFixit noted was that the new iPad is actually very similar to the 2013 iPad Air, and that’s why it’s so cheap. Now we know that Apple doesn’t change the design of its products very often and the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 do look very similar.

The secret to the price is the design of the display unit on both devices. On the original iPad Air, the display wasn’t laminated. This results in a display unit that’s easier to repair and cheaper to manufacture. The display will also appear to be slightly brighter.

In a laminated display, as on the iPad Air 2, the brightness is slightly lower and the display unit is more expensive to make. It is slimmer, however, which is why the new iPad is actually thicker than the iPad that it replaces.

Another difference is that the iPad Air 2’s display has an anti-reflective coating; the new iPad doesn’t have one.

iFixit also discovered that the internal layout and configuration of components in the new iPad is very similar to that of the iPad Air. In fact, it’s possible to swap the new iPad’s display with that of the iPad Air.

The cheaper display coupled with the fact that the iPad’s components are cheaper to manufacture have contributed to the new iPad’s low price.

Some have speculated that Apple lowered the quality and price of the iPad in order to compete with Google, which has seriously threatened Apple’s dominion over the education market by offering Chromebook’s at rock-bottom prices.

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