Microsoft Surface 2 Terrifying Teardown a Repair Nightmare
We've said before that we think Microsoft might be onto something with its second generation Surface systems. Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are thinner, lighter, faster, and more feature-rich than the first generation Surface tablets, and though we'll reserve final judgement until we're able to formally review these devices, what we saw during Microsoft's unveiling was pretty impressive. That said, it's a little disappointing that these types of gadgets can sometimes be incredibly tough to repair on your own at home.
Surface Pro 2 is the newest device to get the teardown treatment from iFixIt. Things started off well enough with iFixIt noting how easily the kickstand is removed, but that would be one of the few things that didn't present a challenge. Like the original Surface, which iFixIt gave a 1 out of 10 repairability score earlier this year, Surface Pro 2 is not a device you can easily tear into and replace parts or otherwise troubleshoot.
Source: iFixIt
Once the display was removed, iFixIt again discovered the presence of 52 screws (of 3 different sizes) holding together the plastic bezel and two metal brackets. Diving deeper, the screw count ballooned to almost twice as many.
"There are over 90 screws inside this device. Mechanical fasteners are great, but quite frankly, we draw the line at 89," iFixIt noted.
Surface Pro 2 also scored low marks because the display assembly consists of a fused glass panel and LCD that is "extremely" hard to take out and replace, the use of "tons of adhesive," and the precise opening procedure leaves no room for mistakes, lest you shear one of the four ribbon cables donning the edge of the display.
On the bright side, the battery isn't soldered to the motherboard (though still difficult to remove) and the SSD can be replaced. Still, none of this was enough to propel Surface Pro 2 above a 1 out of 10 repairability score like its predecessor.
Surface Pro 2 is the newest device to get the teardown treatment from iFixIt. Things started off well enough with iFixIt noting how easily the kickstand is removed, but that would be one of the few things that didn't present a challenge. Like the original Surface, which iFixIt gave a 1 out of 10 repairability score earlier this year, Surface Pro 2 is not a device you can easily tear into and replace parts or otherwise troubleshoot.
Source: iFixIt
Once the display was removed, iFixIt again discovered the presence of 52 screws (of 3 different sizes) holding together the plastic bezel and two metal brackets. Diving deeper, the screw count ballooned to almost twice as many.
"There are over 90 screws inside this device. Mechanical fasteners are great, but quite frankly, we draw the line at 89," iFixIt noted.
Surface Pro 2 also scored low marks because the display assembly consists of a fused glass panel and LCD that is "extremely" hard to take out and replace, the use of "tons of adhesive," and the precise opening procedure leaves no room for mistakes, lest you shear one of the four ribbon cables donning the edge of the display.
On the bright side, the battery isn't soldered to the motherboard (though still difficult to remove) and the SSD can be replaced. Still, none of this was enough to propel Surface Pro 2 above a 1 out of 10 repairability score like its predecessor.
