iPad mini reveals Samsung drivers, loads of glue in teardown

Apple's iPad mini tablet has been torn apart, revealing a tiny tablet that's held together with a bucketload of adhesive, and is nigh-on impossible to repair.

The brave tech-deconstructors at iFixit conducted the grim operation, which sees a microwave-heated tool used to soften the gloop that holds Apple's tablet together, before the screen can be easily pried off.

Interestingly, as the video below shows, you can keep using the mini's touchscreen once you've pulled it away from the tablet's casing -- as long as the panel itself is still connected.

The wanton mangling of Apple's new, more-expensive-than-we-thought toy turns up a few surprises, including the presence of a Samsung display driver integrated circuit.

There are likely iPad mini units out there with drivers built by other companies, but the presence of a Samsung component slightly pours water on recent theories that Apple was moving away from using Samsung tech in its gadgets -- though there's no denying the two companies are enjoying a frosty relationship.

As you'd expect, the iPad mini is almost impossible to repair yourself -- teeny tiny screws and a Lightning port that's soldered to logic board will obfuscate any DIY tinkering. For its baffling innards, iFixit awarded the mini two out of ten on the repairability scale.

At £269 the iPad mini is at the cheap end of the Apple spectrum though, so it's perhaps less likely you'd want to undertake repairs yourself.

The iPad mini goes on sale tomorrow morning -- it's a decent little device, but nowhere near as cheap as Google's Nexus 7, which just hit the 3m sales mark. Will you be buying one? Tell me in the comments or on our Facebook wall.

Image credit: iFixit