Questions & Answers about Wat is een belangrijk kenmerk van dit apparaat?
Why doesn't the adjective have an -e ending here, like belangrijke?
Because kenmerk is a het word (het kenmerk). When an adjective comes before a het word that is introduced by the indefinite article een (a/an), the adjective drops its normal -e ending.
Why does the sentence use dit apparaat instead of deze apparaat?
Apparaat is also a het word (het apparaat). For neuter nouns, you must use the demonstrative pronoun dit (this) instead of deze.
Does apparaat just mean any type of machine?
It typically translates to 'device' or 'appliance'. You use apparaat for things like electronics or household appliances, whereas a larger mechanical piece of factory equipment would be a machine.