Popular YouTuber Zack Nelson – he from the JerryRigEverything Channel – brought its toolkit to Apple’s latest iPad in a durability test that, we might as well say, didn’t end well for the device.
Released a few months ago to lukewarm reviews, the new iPad is the 10th iteration of Apple’s budget iPad, available in a range of colors.
Nelson opts for the pink iPad, first noting how the new device has “officially caught up with the rest of the world” by installing a USB-C connector that replaces Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector.
Before taking his knife to the iPad, Nelson also highlights the absurdity of Apple’s decision to keep the Lightning connector on the iPad’s compatible Apple Pencil, making sure you need the $9 dongle to connect it to the iPad connect USB-C port. “Apple loves it though,” says Nelson, adding, “I’ve heard they even change their catchphrase from ‘think different’ to ‘think dongle.'”
Nelson’s scratch test using the Mohs hardness scale shows damage on the iPad’s display starting at level 6, with deeper gouges at level 7. “Pretty standard,” says the YouTuber.
Next comes the knives and there’s a lot of scratching and scraping. A warning to more sensitive souls: this durability part will raise the hairs on the back of your neck, so it’s best to watch this part at a low volume.
After trying to carve a cartoon character onto the back of the iPad (“Not my best work,” Nelson admits), the iPad is starting to look a little tattered. Then the lighter comes out, banging an open flame against the iPad’s display, a process that causes some rather odd behavior with the glass.
Finally, the bend test, where Nelson uses all his strength to push the iPad’s structure to its limits. Sure, nobody’s going to bend it like that in everyday life, and it’s somehow no surprise that the iPad breaks in two. Just don’t stand or sit on the thing. Nelson notes that the iPad’s weak point appears to be the keyboard ports on the side of the device.
Nelson holds a mangled iPad and ends the video by inspecting its innards. This reveals a few surprises, including an abundance of empty space and a speaker located some distance from the grill hole.
For a full review of a pristine 10th-gen iPad that’s free of sharp objects or burning flames, Digital Trends has you covered.
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