iFixit

The backside of the board, however, boasts no dramatic improvements:

• Broadcom BCM5974 Touch Screen Controller
• Broadcom BCM5973A1 Touch Screen Controller
• Texas Instruments CD3240B0 Touch Screen Line Driver
• 2 x 4Gb Elpida LP DDR2 = 1 GB DRAM in separate packages in a 64-bit configuration
• 2 x Fairchild BCHAH/FDMC Voltage Regulator / Reference
• Murata 339S0171 Broadcom BCM4334 WiFi Module

Apple didn't save any space by switching to the smaller Lightning connector (lower); rather they let the Lightning cable sit in a frame the same size as the 30-pin dock connector (upper).

• We were hoping that space savings would yield bigger, better speakers. Very disappointing, indeed.

If you're new to our site, we'll let you in on a little secret: we love our 54 Bit Driver Kit. It makes quick work freeing the Lightning connector, even with a couple of hard to find screws.

There is a bit of adhesive holding the connector in, but nothing compared to some adhered components we've seen before.

Repair techs, DIY-ers, and clumsy iPad-users, rejoice! The Lightning connector is on its very own ribbon cable, meaning that procuring a replacement connector should be fairly inexpensive.

Despite looking almost identical in this shot, we do spot one more difference between the 3rd (top) and 4th (bottom) generations: the front-facing camera!

We've got a 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera, with the ability to shoot 720p HD video. That's a big improvement from the .3MP FaceTime camera in the iPad 3.

Compared to the iPad 3, this camera is actually slightly thicker (an extra .4 mm), but it still manages to fit into the same space.

iPad 4 Repairability Score: 2 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair)

• The LCD is easy to remove once the front panel is gone.
• The battery is not soldered to the logic board, making the replacement process a tad less difficult.
• Just like in the iPad 2 & 3, the front panel is glued to the rest of the device, greatly increasing the chances of cracking the glass when trying to remove it.
• Gobs, gobs, and gobs of adhesive hold everything in place, including the prone-to-start-a-fire-if-punctured battery.
• The LCD has foam sticky tape adhering it to the front panel, increasing chances of it being shattered during disassembly.
• You can't access the front panel's connector until you remove the LCD.