Noted teardown firm iFixit reported today that it has performed a teardown of the Apple's highly-publicized Smart Cover for the iPad 2, revealing a plethora of magnets inside the device to keep it aligned on the surface of the iPad and to turn the iPad on and off.
There are a total of THIRTY ONE magnets within the iPad 2 and Smart Cover: 10 magnets in the iPad 2, and a whopping 21 magnets inside the Smart Cover. They're the reason why the cover works so well with the iPad 2.
Long, thin magnets are embedded in the sides of the iPad in order to hold the Smart Cover firmly in place on the left side and keep the cover closed on the right side.
iPad 2 sleep sensor (red) and magnets for keeping cover closed (yellow)
A single round magnet in the rightmost panel of the Smart Cover interacts with a sleep sensor embedded in the right edge of the iPad to turn the iPad on and off as the cover is opened and closed.
Steel plate (red) and 15 magnets (yellow) interact to stabilize stand
The Smart Cover is broken into four panels to allow it to fold into a triangular shape to serve as a stand. A total of 15 magnets in the rightmost panel of the cover are used to bond to a steel plate in the leftmost panel to stabilize the stand.
Apple offers polyurethane Smart Covers in five colors priced at $39 each, with leather covers also available in an additional five colors for $69 each.
Saturday April 11, 2026 9:14 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
CarPlay Ultra...
As we wait for WWDC to kick off next Monday, Apple today announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognizing apps and games for their innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement.
The 2025 Apple Design Award winners are listed below, with one app and one game selected per category:
Delight and Fun - CapWords (App) and Balatro (Game)
Innovation - Play (App) and PBJ -...
Saturday April 11, 2026 9:07 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the AirPods Max 2 received more attention, Apple also released a second pair of headphones last month: Nike Powerbeats Pro 2.
Nike Powerbeats Pro 2 are the same as the regular Powerbeats Pro 2, except they have a two-tone design consisting of black and Nike's signature Volt neon green-yellow color. The headphones were released on March 20 in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., and a ...
Apple has updated a wide range of products and accessories this month, but there is still no entry-level iPad 12 with Apple Intelligence support.
Fortunately, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said an iPad with an A18 chip for Apple Intelligence is "ready to go" and "still coming this year."
An earlier report from Macworld claimed that the iPad 12 will actually have an A19 chip.
No other...
Wednesday April 1, 2026 12:13 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple added the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 chip and the iPad 11 to its online store for refurbished products today, allowing customers to purchase like-new models at a discount. The refurbished devices are available in the U.S., Canada, UK, and many other European countries.
Pricing on the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 chip starts at $1,359 in the U.S. for the model with a 10-core CPU,...
Saturday April 11, 2026 9:14 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
CarPlay Ultra...
