While the nifty Smart Cover accessory that Apple “developed alongside the iPad 2” isn’t really a necessary purchase, it’s definitely a cool add-on. It snaps on and snaps off in a jiffy, folds into an instant iPad stand, and “magically” puts the iPad screen to sleep and wake it up when you open and close the flap. Seriously, if they packaged this thing with a sleek, Apple-designed way to retain the iPad 2’s looks and spare the back plate from scratches, it would have been perfect. Anyway, iFixit opened it up to reveal how it works, and to no one’s surprise, they did it with magnets. A lot of magnets.
In total, the whole Smart Cover system includes more then two dozen magnets, with a number of them embedded on the iPad’s frame. The magnets used on the iPad’s left side, where the Smart Cover latches on, are arranged with alternating polarities (+-+-), while the matching side on the cover is lined by magnets with opposing polarities (-+-+), which explains how the cover always stays aligned.
So how does it switch the screen on and off? With magnets, of course. The Smart Cover has a separate round magnet that goes over a sleep sensor on the iPad 2’s right side. Apparently, you don’t even need the Smart Cover to enable the sleep/wake function; all you need is a magnet and the sensor’s location under the bezel. iFixit managed to activate the tablet’s sleep sensor using a magnet-tipped tool.
iFixit gave the Smart Cover a repairability rating of 0 out of 10 as a joke, because it’s not really something that was built to be taken apart. If you somehow rip the material, you could probably have a go at it with a classic repair kit called duct tape.
Tags: Apple, iFixit, iPad 2, iPad Accessories, Smart Cover, Teardown
