Despite being only one millimeter thicker, Google's upcoming Nexus 7 slate is more repairable than the new iPad, a teardown analysis by iFixit has concluded. Its components are assembled using standard tools, unlike the new iPad's innards which are glued together.
A simpler assembly makes servicing the Google tablet fairly easy with standard plastic opening tools that make "cracking the Nexus shell like cutting through butter"...
While guys over at iFixIt have done their trademark awesome job peeking under the new iPad's hood, one aspect of its bowels hasn't been scrutinized yet: the Apple-designed A5X chip labeled "S5L8945X" and fabbed on Samsung's 45-nanometer process. Enter silicon analysis firm Chipworks which just released a high-resolution photo depicting so-called "floorplans" of the A5X package.
Their analysis corroborates speculation on the A5X architecture and offers a fascinating insight into the innards of the A5X package. As you can see in the above shot, a large portion of the A5X's die is dedicated to the four graphic cores, found to be comparable to Nvidia's Tegra 3 chip in terms of speed.
Apple does not publicly specify the type of GPU/CPU used, but it's been widely rumored that the A5X packs in Imagination Technologies' PowerVR SGX543MP4 technology versus a dual core PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU found inside the A5 chip from iPad 2 (both pieces of silicon run dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore CPU). Read on for the nitty-gritty details depicted in the polysilicon die photos...
It's become something of a ritual for some. Apple releases a new device, be it iPhone or iPad, and then someone waits patiently to get their hands on it with the sole aim of ripping it apart. It's a regular assurance these days, and the new iPad has suffered the same fate as its brethren.
This time around, amongst others, IHS iSuppli got their hands on a new iPad and set about doing the only honorable thing: ripping it apart with the sole aim of trying to figure out just how much one of these things costs to make and, thus, how much the device is adding to Apple's world famous bottom line.
The answer very much depends on the model sold, but regardless, Apple is indeed making plenty of profit on each iPad sold...
Every time Apple releases new hardware, the tech world awaits its inevitable teardown. Apple's products are just as much a feat in engineering as they are sleek and beautiful. And everyone wants to know how they've done it.
The new iPad is no exception. Apple has managed to squeeze over 3 million pixels into the tablet's Retina display, and add a high-speed LTE radio, all while maintaing [roughly] the same size, price and battery life of its predecessors.
So what's going on under the hood to make it all possible? Let's find out...
Apple recently stated in a support email that it has no plans to bring Siri to older iDevices, and many are wondering why. If it's just a matter of software, then Apple's decision to not bring Siri to non-4S devices can be seen as a simple marketing gimmick. If other devices can run Siri like the iPhone 4S, then why not make it available for everyone?
Porting Siri to other iDevices involves more than just software, as there are some noticeable hardware differences in the iPhone 4S.
The folks over at iSuppli have teared down the new iPhone 4S, this time providing a detailed analysis as well as the estimated cost to manufacture the handset.
While the iPhone 4S looks almost completely identical to the previous generation iPhone 4, there are some changes inside the new handset which seem to have translated to a 50 cent cost increase from the iPhone 4...
If you're one of the millions of people that pre-ordered an iPhone 4S, or were able to snag one from a retail store, chances are you've been busy today. You've moved your contacts over, synced it with iTunes, and customized its settings to your liking.
Well the folks over at iFixYouri have a different ritual they go through after receiving a new handset. They've pulled out the mini-screwdriver, and have completely disassembled Apple's new smartphone. Find out how easy it is in this surprisingly short video clip...
Although the iPhone 4S has not even been officially released yet, the folks over at iFixit have managed to get their hands on Apple's latest magical handset to begin their usual teardown.
While we already know most of what has changed inside the new iPhone 4S, iFixit provides additional details and a more thorough look at the device's insides...
You almost have to feel sorry for the little guy, don't you?
Apple's newest iPod nano, now into its seventh iteration (if you count Tuesday's software refresh as a "new model"), has been given the infamous iFixit treatment, and had its innards laid out for all to gawk at...
With iPhone 5 anticipation reaching a fever pitch, Bloomberg has put together a 'hypothetical' iPhone 5 teardown. The purpose of this speculative teardown is to see how much each alleged component of the device would cost Apple.
Bloomberg estimates that the iPhone 5 will cost Apple about $270.10 to manufacter, with the device sporting 512MB of RAM.