Years go by but the story is always the same: even the AirPods Pro 2 cannot be repaired, like those of the previous generation. As a routine, after reviewing the iPhone 14 which surprised the American technicians on the contrary, iFixit tried to disassemble the charging case and earphones of new generation, but the verdict has not changed one iota: opening them is not easy, and even if you do it with the greatest possible attention, something ends up ruining it.
In short, three years later we end up repeating the same things: 2 AirPods are not repairable and probably can’t even Apple, which he recommended in the past and at this point in all likelihood he will continue to do so that when the autonomy decreases to the point of suggesting the battery change it will be necessary dispose of them and buy a couple more. It is true that by recycling them the plastics and precious metals inside are recovered, including gold, but – points out iFixit – the recycling process requires many resources and this clashes with the aim of being carbon neutral by 2030.
“Repair should take priority over recyclingbut from what we have seen these earphones can never be repaired “. So what should have been a video teardown on AirPods Pro 2 turns into a 3-minute video in which iFixit explains the environmental reflections of Apple’s choice and hopes that at least the next generation may be approached differentlybearing in mind the priorities of today’s world which, in order to face the climate crisis, must think about repairing and not throwing away.
A change of approach by Apple, we add, however, seems unlikely. The reasoning that was made with Galaxy XCover6 Pro, a smartphone designed to resist before being beautiful, is valid: when designers do not have to combine technology with small dimensions and aesthetics, products come out that are easily repaired. It is not the case with the AirPods Pro or standard that they are, that since the first model they must be nice and compact: We doubt Apple will push size up from generation to generation in the name of repairability, but we hope the facts prove us wrong.