Hi all. We have an iPad Air 4th generation, that all of a sudden (with no prior warning) will not power on. It’s been to see a ‘Genius’ at the Apple store and they have declared it goosed. As it’s only four years old this is not what we wanted to hear, as it’s my wife’s main leisure computer and she uses it for everything outside of her dedicated work laptop. This is the first Apple device that’s completely given up the ghost while not being that old - very frustrating.
Does anyone know of a reputable specialist who can repair / service iPads? Looking at the iFixit page for this model, its repairability is rated as 2/10, which doesn’t bode well!
I would have thought Apple themselves were the specialists.
I’m guessing this doesn’t have apple care.
Choose your colour - a repair is going to be 50% of the £ of a replacement easily.
Not even a part ex on it? Without really knowing what goosed means - which could be anything - I’m guessing you just want to be seen what can be done.
Honestly I’d be tempted to sell it on eBay for parts; someone will want the screen and the back case etc
Nothing from Apple. V poor quite frankly, and no offer for a of a trade in either, just a request by them to retain the iPad Air so that they could recycle it, which we declined, hoping for a potential repair from a 3rd party.
Yes, it could be sold on for spares / repairs etc, but I’m aiming for at least a diagnostic evaluation first if we can find somewhere who can provide that service.
My wife’s std iPad did same about 3-4 weeks ago. No problems at all then one day suddenly powered off and dead. Local Apple store tested and said won’t take any charge at all so not eligible for exchange and not repairable at all. Only option was to buy a new machine. After a quick attempt ag shopping around no other options, so needing it she bought a new one. And was most annoyed when the very next day Apple stopped announced new version, taking pre-orders, and few remaining old model stock would havd been duscounted.
Last weekend, I changed the battery pack of an iPad Air2 with the iFixit kit. It was a pretty violent procedure ripping the whole thing apart. Opening the iPad required much more heating than suggested by the manual, but I figured there was not much to loose. To my surprise, the iPad works beautifully again. If you feel your inner technician, just go for it.
In case anyone is wondering what happened next… iPad Air 4 all repaired by an independent specialist who diagnosed a faulty charging port. I’m £115 lighter of pocket, but I now have a decent up to date iPad (able to run the latest OS) to use as a reference tool in the studio, while my better half is now using her iPad 11 for general iPadding duties.
Disappointing that the Apple Trafford Centre’s ‘Genius’ was unable to simply accommodate sending it for a proper diagnostic, but there we are. The moral being don’t throw out you unresponsive tech before a thorough check up!
Yes, that’s how I perceive the Apple Store reaction as well. An older unit that’s perhaps harder to take apart, so must be considered uneconomical to repair. A shame really as this was an expensive iPad when bought new, and can still run the latest OS.
So glad I took the plunge and sent it off for a diagnostic, as I was fifty fifty whether to just sell it on for spares / repairs.
I don’t think they’re what they once were for certain - overpriced and overhyped in so many areas, and there’s only so many new emoji announcements or silly social media features I don’t want that I can stomach.
And I took my wife’s dead iPad (died suddenly and local Apple shop said nothing can be done), and mine (battery died after a few months of serious decline and just outside of Apple’s repair acceptance window) to a repair shop in Schenzhen, China (a high tech specialising city adjacent to Hong Kong), and both repaired in 2 hours for about £40 total, with new screen protectors and cases. Easy if on holiday there, with someone who knows where to go, but of course not otherwise.
It’s hit and miss. I took my 2 year old Mac Mini to the Apple store in Ginza to have the memory upgrade fitted. They refused out of hand. Were snooty and called it a fossil. And just gave me a quote for a new Mac.
I had a bit of an emotional (anger) reaction and geve the thing to my colleague at work and ended 20 years of Apple user history there and then (or so I thought).
A few years later I bought a iPod Touch just for use as a remote control. The home button broke and they wouldn’t fix it for any money. And then an update bricked it.
