iFixit has released its teardown of the second-generation Apple TV 4K, showing an easy-to-repair, modular design, alongside a laborious process to disassemble the redesigned Siri Remote.
As with previous Apple TV models, the entire plastic casing of the device is transparent to IR light, allowing the Siri Remote to be used from any angle. The large fan inside the Apple TV is not connected to the logic board by a cable but instead uses four metal contact pins, making disassembly even easier. iFixit noted that the Apple TV is easy to take apart because the individual components simply lie on top of each other and are easy to remove with a screwdriver. The redesigned Siri Remote has the battery in the bottom half while the circuitry takes up the top half. To get inside, two screws must be removed from a plate on the bottom of the remote where the lighting port is. iFixit found that it's not possible to get to anything useful here without removing even more screws elsewhere.
Apple TV 4K: Changing the battery of the Siri Remote poses risks
The clickpad and buttons had to be removed with brute force, revealing additional screws that had to be removed. Once these were removed, the battery and circuitry could be pushed out from the bottom of the remote. iFixit found that the entire disassembly of the new Siri Remote was complicated by "super-tight" tolerances.
The repair experts discovered that the Siri Remote uses a "tiny" 1.52 Wh battery and that it's not glued in, which should make replacement somewhat easier. Like its predecessor, the second-generation Apple TV received an eight out of ten rating for repairability. The new remote, however, was very difficult to repair. Even a simple battery change requires complete disassembly and carries the risk of damage, they concluded. (Photo by Unsplash / Omar Rodriguez)
