Information technology's condign tradition that with every new high-profile gadget release, we showcase whatever findings the repair commandos at iFixit.com share with us, whether it'south the latest iPhone 5S and 5C, the Nvidia Shield, Moto X smartphone, or the yet unfinalized Oculus Rift VR headset.

In a follow-upward article we'll listing devices and gadgets yous tin service on your own. Merely if it's controversy and indignation you desire, this is the week yous've been waiting for! Hither are iFixit's elevation ten hardest-to-repair electronics.

Read the 2022 follow-up: 10 Tech Products That Are Next to Impossible to Repair

Nosotros have to wonder what the late Steve Jobs (who was then obsessive about making his gadgets user-friendly) would think to see a whopping six Apple products filling out iFixit's list of the least repairable objects. Not surprisingly, a few of the top slots are taken up by the line of environmentally unfriendly Macbook Pros with Retina Display, which iFixit dominate Kyle Wiens one time slammed as "designed to fail."

10

Apple iPod bear upon (fifth Generation)

Category: MP3 Role player
iFixit Verdict: "Clips and agglutinative (and no external screws) brand it difficult to open the case. One time inside, several components are soldered into two master assemblies, increasing toll of replacement for any private function."
Fixability Score: three

9

Nikon D600 24.three-MP Digital SLR Camera

Category: DSLR
iFixit Verdict: "Similar to the D5100, components are very densely packed, and desoldering is required for disassembly. Additionally, the LCD is fused to the rear example and cannot exist replaced without swapping the entire back of the trunk."
Fixability Score: 2

8

Apple iPad with Retina Brandish

Category: Tablet
iFixit Verdict: "Just like in 2d and third generation iPads, loads of adhesive secure the screen and battery to the case. This makes it difficult to open up the device for repairs, and especially difficult to remove the battery to install a replacement."
Fixability Score: 2

7

Apple iPad mini

Category: Tablet
iFixit Verdict: "Components are held in identify with either copious amounts of adhesive or tape, or incredibly tiny and easy-to-lose screws. Especially annoying, the Lightning connector is soldered to the logic lath, so broken connector pins will mean replacing the entire assembly."
Fixability Score: 2

6

Nikon D5100 16.two-MP Digital SLR Camera

Category: DSLR Camera
iFixit Verdict: "Disassembly requires desoldering several components and removing a ton of screws. Components are densely packed into the device, complicating repairs."
Fixability Score: 2

5

Apple MacBook Pro 13.3" Retina

Category: Laptop
iFixit Verdict: "Slightly better than its xv" predecessor, the MacBook Pro Retina thirteen" still features a glued-in battery, proprietary screws and SSD, and soldered-in RAM."
Fixability Score: ii

four

Apple tree iPod shuffle 2GB (quaternary Generation)

Category: MP3 Role player
iFixit Verdict: "Because of the pocket-sized scale and construction, it'south impossible to open up this device without destroying it. Additionally, the battery is soldered to the logic board, increasing repair difficulty."
Fixability Score: 2

3

Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet

Category: Laptop/Tablet Hybrid
iFixit Verdict: "The Surface Pro'due south display assembly is incredibly hard to remove, sealed in identify with tons of adhesive. One time y'all have the cover removed, there are more xc screws inside to keep you from the rest of the components."
Fixability Score: i

two

HTC One

Category: Smartphone
iFixit Verdict: "This telephone is very difficult, if not incommunicable, to open up without destroying the rear case. Even if you can get it open, the battery is cached below the motherboard and adhered to the midframe, and incredibly difficult to replace."
Fixability Score: i

1

Apple MacBook Pro 15" Retina

Category: Laptop
iFixit Verdict: "Proprietary pentalobe screws, soldered and non-upgradeable RAM, a proprietary SSD, and a glued-in battery brand the 15" Retina Pro the least repairable laptop we've ever seen."
Fixability Score: 1

Then what are your gadget repair horror stories, and which items belong on this listing (or don't) based on your experience? If nothing else, the presence of six Apple tree items here, we would hope, should serve as a wake up call to Apple CEO, Tim Cook: Make your products more repairable, and thus less probable to wind up in landfills. In the meantime, learn all about the gizmos you can overhaul all by your self, complete with how-to guides and instructions, at iFixit.com.

Republished with permission. Lou Carlozo is an award-winning announcer who served for xvi years as a Chicago Tribune Staff Author, Editor and columnist. Now he covers personal finance at Reuters Wealth, is the writer of a journalism textbook and contributes at dealnews.

Miniature technicians working on a circuit board masthead past Shutterstock.