The crew over at iFixit got their hands on the new Apple TV 4K, which launched not too long ago. So of course it didn’t take them long before they started taking the set-top box apart.
Learning that Apple products are not necessarily well-regarded in the repair community is not surprising. So when a new product does boast a high repairability score, that’s a welcomed change for some. And that’s the scenario for the new Apple TV 4K, which iFixit found to be surprisingly easy to repair.
However, it’s not really the same situation for the new, redesigned Siri Remote.
iFixit published their teardown of the new Apple TV 4K and inspection under the hood of the new Siri Remote on YouTube today. The crew doesn’t beat around the busy, either, making it obvious from the video’s title that the Siri Remote has a difficult process for replacing the battery inside.
Here’s iFixit’s description included with the video:
After almost 4 years Apple has finally updated the Apple TV 4K. This new version features an updated processor, the ability to calibrate your TV using your iPhone, and a redesigned Siri Remote (thank god!). It still looks the same on the outside, but we’re dying to know if they’ve updated anything else in this shiny black box so let’s tear it down!
The teardown did reveal a few interesting tidbits about the set-top box itself, though. It’s actually transparent to infrared light, which means folks who own the new streaming box don’t have to point the remote directly at it to control it. It’s not a requirement to be overly precise where you point the remote, basically.
And, as noted above, popping open that box and getting inside, and doing some repairs, isn’t unnecessarily difficult.
It’s the Siri Remote where things get complicated. Back to the norm, some might say. There are some obvious screws that need to be removed to open up the new remote, but that’s not all. iFixit discovered that removing those screws doesn’t actually provide immediate access under the hood. They had to remove the rubber buttons, too, and then they found even more screws under those.
Actually removing the 1.52 Wh battery isn’t too difficult. It’s just glued in place.
In the end, iFixit gave the new Apple TV 4K an 8 out of 10 when it comes to repairability. Interestingly, they didn’t rate the Siri Remote.