Is iPad Air easier to repair than Microsoft Surface Pro 2? Or, is it the other way around? Read on to know more.

The best way to know if a gadget is repairable is to take it apart, bit by bit and see if it can be assembled afterwards, much like a jigsaw puzzle. This is called Reverse Engineering. If you guys watched the 2003 film "Paycheck," starring Ben Affleck, then this is what he does as a reverse engineer.

In order to know which of the two gadgets mentioned above is easier to repair, iPad Air and Microsoft Surface Pro 2 were both torn down by the guys at iFixit.

iPad Air:


Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook speaks about the new iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retnia display during an Apple event in San Francisco, California October 22, 2013. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith


The iPad Air received a repairability score of 2 out of 10 from iFixit. A score of 10 is the easiest to repair.

"The changes to the new iPad are bad for repairability, but not quite bad enough to halve its score from 2 to 1. It was an extremely close call, though. We wrestled with the decision for quite a long time before reaching our conclusion," wrote iFixit in an email to The Register UK.

Just like its iPad predecessors, the iPad Air's front panel is glued to the rest of the device. According to iFixit, this greatly increases the chances of the glass cracking during a repair.

The iPad Air was torn down by iFixit in 24 steps. To check out the detailed process with pictures, click here.

You can also watch the video below:

CREDIT: YouTube/ iFixitYourself

Microsoft Surface Pro 2:

The Microsoft logo is seen at their offices in Bucharest in this file photo from March 20, 2013. Microsoft Corp said October 24, 2013 its fiscal first-quarter profit rose a greater-than-expected 17 percent, as strong sales of its Office and server software to businesses offset weakness in its flagship Windows system. REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel

The Microsoft Surface Pro 2 received a repairability score of 1 out of 10 from iFixit.

Just like its predecessor, the Microsoft Surface Pro, the Surface Pro 2's slate has 90 screws and is filled with thick, tacky glue.

"The display is trapped like a baby diplodocus in a treacherous tar pit of black adhesive," said Fixit to The Register UK.

"One slip-up and you'll likely shear one of the four ribbon cables in the edge of the display," explained an iFixit repair guru.

The device's solid-state drive (SSD) can be replaced, but doing so risks damage to the tablet by simply opening it.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 2 was torn down by iFixit in 11 steps. To check out the detailed process with pictures, click here.

You can also watch the video below:

CREDIT: YouTube/ iFixitYourself

With the iPad Air's repairability score of 2 and Microsoft Surface Pro 2's score of 1 out of 10, then the iPad Air wins as the gadget which is easier to repair.