AirPods teardown: not DIY repairable whatsoever
While most devices are at least a little bit DIY repairable according to iFixit, Apple's latest certainly isn't. The folks at iFixit responsible for tearing devices down to assess their repairability have found the Apple AirPods to rate a clean and simple zero – not good for the do-it-yourself hardware repair crowd at all whatsoever. It would seem that Apple did not have these folks in mind when they designed these very tiny sound-blasters and their charging case.
It's not extremely surprising to see that devices as tiny as these AirPods aren't easy to take apart. Apple isn't making the AirPods in a way that's meant to be pulled apart easily. They're made to look and feel like tiny monoliths, and the set with the case is meant to work magically – not in a way the average user can take apart and understand.
SEE ALSO: Our Apple AirPods Review
Each one of these AirPods is 0.65" × 0.71" × 1.59" (16.5 mm × 18.0 mm × 40.5 mm) and weighs 0.14 oz (4 g). The carrying case charger is 1.74" × 0.84" × 2.11" (44.3 mm × 21.3 mm × 53.5 mm) and weighs 1.34 oz (38 g). They're small – extremely small – and have no visible screws or clips holding them together.
The iFixit team must resort to using a sharp knife and a heater to get the AirPods apart. Inside are a set of components from Cypress, Maxim, and Texas Instruments so tightly packed that we'd not recommend anyone attempt to do this same teardown at home, ever. It'll be far easier – and less detrimental to the device – to get repairs from Apple.
To get into either the AirPods or the charging case, the user will have to destroy the casings around the components within. This is not a situation in which DIY repair is the right option.
This revelation comes right on the heels of a set of drop and wash tests, as well. One should safely expect that a device that's extremely difficult to take apart on one's own would therefore be difficult to break. As it turns out, Apple's AirPods are surprisingly durable in the tests run this week.