This iFixit teardown shows the HomePod is built like a tank

Tech

The HomePod is Apple’s very cute, very chic smart speaker, but how easy is it to fix? Not very, according to the latest iFixit teardown, which involves 19 involved steps to dismantle the hefty speaker. The iFixit team gives the speaker a repairability score of 1 out of 10. Apple’s repair cost for the HomePod is pricey, too: an out-of-warranty repair from Apple will cost $279 in the US, which is 80 percent of the price for a brand-new HomePod. Now we know why. (Thankfully, replacing just the power cable is far cheaper.)

To dismantle the speaker, iFixit used a heat gun to peel panels off and a knife to cut through 3D wire mesh. (The mesh can be peeled off undamaged with a nifty drawstring that’s attached, iFixit notes). iFixit then used a…

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