Apple engineers designed a series of 14 magnets to hold the glass plate, allowing it to stand in front of the LCD while allowing the panel to be repair when faulty. However, they had to design a new tool to remove the glass plate, costing USD100 and necessary for all Apple certified repair centers. It includes 2 suction pads required to be able to counter-balance the tightening strength generated by the magnets.
But that's only the beginning of the misery for repair tech support:
- The glass plate is made of normal glass, and not of "securite" type, so it is very fragile...
- You do not want to see finger prints on the glass, so the technician performing the operation is asked to wear gloves.
- Last but not least, you should not trap dust between the glass plate and the LCD panel, so silicone must be applied to avoid dust and water condensation to be sticking. Apple is even offering a UV lamp to check the surface of the glass plate before reassembling.
Knowing the ridiculously low price paid by Apple to Repair Centers for changing a LCD panel, let's hope the iMac is not facing a massive problem with its new gorgeous display. According to our sources, so far so good.
