The iPad 4 in my hand has been sitting idle for over a decade—never put to much use, yet its battery life is astonishingly durable; even without charging, it can easily last more than a month before the power runs out.

Thinking about how I could put it to better use, I designed this minimalist‑style photo frame that doubles as an electronic photo album and digital calendar. It’s all about making the most of what you’ve got.

To wake the screen, simply press the upper-left corner of the frame’s border—the built‑in button will activate the device. To prioritize aesthetics, we opted not to carve out a dedicated Home button on the front bezel; instead, volume and brightness can be adjusted with intuitive touch controls.

We’ve carefully engineered both speaker openings and a port for the charging cable, though the cable itself should be a Lightning cable with a bent connector. No supports are needed, and no glue is required—just a single filament seamlessly joins the back bracket to the front panel.

Insert a single filament into the connection point between the back bracket and the front panel
Connect the data cable—be sure to use a Lightning cable with an L‑shaped connector (available for just a few yuan from PDD)
Thread the data cable through the hole in the back plate
Slide the top edge of the front bezel into the corresponding slot, then gently bend it downward and press the bottom edge firmly into place