As we heat up the iOpeners, we place bets in the office pool: Where will the display cables be this time?

Time to pick softly and hope we don't snag anything.

One day, perhaps, Apple will put its massive engineering prowess to work on the problem of how to make a tablet that opens for servicing—without the nail-biting 30-minute process of heating, blind prying, and suctioning it currently demands. But it is not this day.

Having successfully carved the front panel free from its gluey frame, we get our first peek inside...