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iFixit examines the MacBook Pro Retina display
Last week, iFixit took apart a Retina MacBook Pro, and, this week, the repair company takes a closer look at the display assembly. In a 16-step guide, iFixit removes literally everything from the display assembly. It's impressive to see all the films, sheets and other components that go into the LCD display. Not surprisingly, iFixit doesn't assign a repairability score to the component because there is no way to repair the display assembly. The company concludes that "if anything in the display assembly breaks, you'll need to replace the whole thing."
iFixit tears down the third generation iPad (Updated)
iFixit got its hands on a third generation iPad as soon as it went on sale in Australia today. As they boasted on Twitter, "the first legit-purchased, legit-owned iPad 3 is now also the first legit-opened iPad... in the world." The iPad 2 and the iPad 3 have different displays and the teardown analysis suggests the two devices have different display connectors. The model number on the retina display suggests this one is a Samsung-made LCD. iFixit has identified two chips that could be the RAM, they need to do more digging to confirm. There's also a beautiful shot of the A5X processor as shown above. You can check out the full teardown and ogle all the internals of the new iPad on iFixit's website. Update: According to iFixit, there are "two Elpida LP DDR2. Each package is 512 MB for a total of 1 GB."
The Verge suggests the new iPad has 1 GB RAM
Though Apple is forthcoming about processor specs and display resolution, the company often fails to mention the amount of RAM inside its devices. The original iPad shipped with 256 MB of RAM and the iPad 2 with 512 MB. Sources for the Verge claim the new iPad will up the RAM again to a respectable 1 GB. This claim is supported by iOS developer Will Strafach (@Chronic) who studied a leaked debug output file supposedly from a prototype iPad 3. He noticed that the last line in the output says "vm_page_bootstrap: 244276 free pages and 8396 wired pages". From this information, he calculated that the new iPad would have 1 GB of RAM. Of course, this is all rumor and speculation until ifixit can get its hands on the tablet and tear it apart in fine fashion.
PS Vita torn apart by iFixit, gets its vitals checked
iFixit's (counter-intuitively) done it again. This time it's made gamers of the world weep by ceremoniously un-fixing a PS Vita, Sony's latest portable gaming powerhouse. Standard screws and fittings -- alongside a modular design -- made for a relatively pain-free deconstruction for these tinkerers -- especially compared to recent iFixit visitors. Highlights from the tech autopsy include a 2,200mAh battery, Toshiba SDRAM and an OLED display that is unfortunately fused to the plastic, reducing the score down to a could-be-worth-a-fixin' 8 out of 10. Get your goggles, grab a surgery mask and meet us at the source below. Things could get a little messy.
iFixit pries apart the Droid 4, strips slider to see its silicon insides
Verizon's Droid 4 was officially released last week, so naturally, iFixit spent the weekend pulling the phone apart for all to see. Among the nuggets of knowledge uncovered during the teardown is the discovery that the fourth iteration breaks from Droid tradition in a couple of not-so-positive ways. First off, Moto decided to integrate the keyboard into the motherboard, meaning if one of your keys quits working, you'll have to replace the motherboard, too. Not only that, but the Droid 4's battery is purportedly no longer user-replaceable, though iFixit's deft disembodied hands were able to pry it loose with some effort. It's not all bad, as the teardown did confirm that the handset does, in fact, pack the promised 16GB of onboard storage. Don't take our word for it, though, there's a bevy of pics of the flayed phone for your perusal at the source link below, so hop on over for the full monty.
Motorola Droid RAZR hits Verizon stores, iFixit labs
It's become a rite of passage for any major smartphone -- a few hours under the knife (read: dozuki saw!), for the good 'ol iFixit teardown. Today's victim is the Motorola Droid RAZR, which happened to hit Verizon stores around the time it arrived at the iFixit labs -- so, yes, you can go pick one up today and do this yourself at home, at your own risk and $299 expense, of course. The teardown revealed that most of the key components are on one side of the motherboard, where you'll find the Toshiba THGBM4G7D2GBAIE 16GB EMMC flash memory module, Samsung K3PE7E700M-XGC1 4GB LPDDR2 RAM, Qualcomm MDM6600 dual-mode baseband/RF transceiver, Motorola T6VP0XBG-0001 LTE processor and other goodies like the combo Bluetooth/WiFi/GPS receiver. Wondering what else Motorola was able to pack neatly below that 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display? Hit up the source link for the full iFixit teardown.
iFixit busts Apple's Thunderbolt Display wide open, no creamy center inside
It's been more than two months since Apple unveiled its Thunderbolt Display, and the gadget sadists over at iFixit are just getting around to picking the thing apart -- quite literally. So what has this dive into the 27-incher revealed? Well, for starters, the iFixit crew found that the LG-made LCD display in this Thunderbolt monitor appears to be the same one found in Dell's UltraSharp U2711, though favoring a cursed glossy finish. That's also the same setup we saw in Cupertino's 2009 iMac. This teardown also features a slew of chips from the likes of Texas Instruments and Broadcom and a miniature subwoofer. For more under-the-hood discoveries and a healthy helping of disassembled Thunderbolt Display components take a stroll on over to the source link below.
iFixit tears down Apple's Thunderbolt display
iFixit has gone all destructo on Apple's new Thunderbolt display, and the gory details are now available over on their site. They ripped the beautiful monitor apart so you didn't have to, and inside they found the same display seen in the iMac Intel 27" from a couple of years ago, as well as a 49 watt, 2-speaker sound system, a big brushless fan, and a bunch of other impressive digital junk. It sounds like iFixit had a great time -- they say the disassembly didn't require any special tools (just a few suction cups and a couple of Torx screwdrivers) and rated the display 8 out of 10 for repairability. Not that you'd ever really need to repair these things -- monitors are pretty sturdy unless you're really tossing them around, and Apple is pretty good about handling you for the standard failures and repairs. But it is cool to get a look inside the monitor itself. How surprising that it's filled with so many dohickeys and what zits. As iFixit puts it, "both sides of the logic board are packed with enough chips that it's hard to believe there's no computer inside this display."
Samsung Epic 4G Touch gets torn down, confirms its epic crendentials
The Samsung Epic 4G Touch is a triumph of engineering, jamming oh-so-very-much into an oh-so-little frame. What better way to celebrate its wonderous design, than to tear it all down to its constituent parts, and then reassemble it? Thank the guys at iFixit, because they've already done it -- again. Interesting points include just a single EMI shield -- unlike some competitors -- which is great news for those looking to emulate a tear-down of their own Sprint-specific GSII. It could still prove to be a challenge, with both the glass panel and LCD apparently fused to the middle of the phone, meaning a replacement for that sumptuous 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen could prove costly. Click below for a pictorial blow-by-blow of the teardown, let's keep the drooling to a minimum, shall we?
Samsung Series 5 3G Chromebook gets iFixit teardown, lays bare its telling internals
It's already made an early debut, just to sell out in a matter a hours, and now Samsung's answer to the Chromebook, the Series 5, is getting some attention of a more destructive sort. The folks over at iFixit have proven once again that ripping apart consumer electronics is not only therapeutic, but also enlightening, this time putting Google's ultraportable under the knife. On top of the specs we already have, this Chromebook's inner workings reveal 2GB of non-upgradable DDR3 RAM (the CR-48 apparently packed upgradable RAM), Intel NM10 graphics, a Qualcomm Gobi WWAN board, an Atheros AR9382 802.11n WiFi chip, and a 16GB SanDisk SSD. If you want even more intimate details (and have some cash to burn) you can wait to rip into the Chromebook yourself -- or you could to do the practical thing, and click on the source link below.
iFixit tears down the latest generation iMac to reveal LG display, removable GPU
iFixit got its hands on the newly announced 21.5-inch iMac and tore the all-in-one down to its screws and casing. The teardown analysis reveals the latest iMac has the same LG-manufactured LED display used in the previous generation iMac and a Thunderbolt port similar to the port found on the latest MacBook Pro models. Good news for those that enjoy taking apart their iMac hardware as the magnetically held glass front is easily removed using suction cups, and the LCD is only held in by a few screws. Once the display is removed, the RAM, hard drive and optical drive are easily accessible. Interestingly enough, iFixit noticed a small opening for the optional SSD drive which can be mounted underneath the optical drive. The logic board is a bit more difficult to remove as you need to disconnect several connectors and apply upward and outward pressure to jiggle it out of the casing. iMac owners don't have to worry about a fried processor or graphics card contributing to the early demise of their machine as both the GPU and the CPU heat sink can be removed from the logic board. If a problem with either component develops, you could easily replace the AMD graphics card or Intel CPU if you want. Overall, iFixit gave the latest generation iMac a 7 out of 10 repairability score with 10 being the easiest to repair.
Nikon D5100 gets the iFixit teardown treatment, camera status confirmed
We've seen plenty of tablets go under the spudger at the iFixit teardown labs, but seldom has a DSLR been gently gutted and photographed for all to see. Today's victim is the $900 Nikon D5100, which just hit stores last week. After popping out the battery (the D5100's only user-serviceable component), the engineers removed the motherboard, 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, and everything else they could get their hands on, even going so far as to desolder some wires. The verdict? The camera is very difficult to disassemble -- perhaps because "approximately 4 billion screws hold the device together." Teardowns are arguably more fun than unboxings (trust us, we know), so hit the link below for more camera-in-the-buff shots.
iPad 2 teardown: GSM and CDMA differences
The screwdriver- and heat gun-happy bunch over at iFixit have been disassembling iPad 2s again, all in the interest of keeping radio (and other) nerds "droolingly-happy," as Engadget puts it. Their original teardown was of a humble (relative to other iPad 2s only) 16 GB Wi-Fi only model. Now they've attacked (harsh term) CDMA and GSM models to bring us some very nice geeky internals pictures. In general, they say, Apple has made the same design change decisions as they did between the GSM and CDMA versions of the iPhone 4. There's no need for a microSIM slot, an extra antenna for the CDMA model or that Qualcomm Gobi radio chip, which supports both GSM and CDMA standards (does this point to the iPhone 5 supporting CDMA and GSM in the one handset?) and so on. iFixit's most interesting conclusion: "Of the three, having the Wi-Fi only version in your chest pocket is your best bet if someone decides to shoot at you." Tony Soprano, take note next time you visit Junior. Check out their full teardown when you have a moment; if you got out of bed on the wrong side this morning, this will pick you up better than a Dilbert cartoon making references to Apple. [Via Engadget]
Samsung Galaxy Tab torn down, is indeed not full of stars
What's that, the greatest Android tablet of the moment caught without its pants on again? Oh, no, it's just another iFixit special, tearing down a Samsung Galaxy Tab into its requisite bits, bobs, and a slab of Gorilla Glass. The removal of that pane turned out to be the trickiest part, requiring a lot of heat and a little "nervous prying" before it yielded. But, yield it did, and you can see the piece-by-piece teardown on the other end of the source link below.
Microsoft Kinect ripped to pieces, found to contain chips on tiny green boards
If you ever doubted that Microsoft's Kinect was based on PrimeSense technology, you can leave those suspicions at the door -- iFixit's separated the twin-eye motion sensing camera into its constituent parts, and there's definitely PrimeSense silicon on board. To be precise, there's a PrimeSense processor that handles images from the color and infrared CMOS auto-focus imagers, a Marvell SoC to interface with those cameras,64MB of DDR2 memory and 1MB of flash plus an accelerometer of all things. (Perhaps game developers intend to break the fourth wall when you inevitably knock the unit off your TV.) Filled with four different kinds of security screws and a fair bit of glue, Kinect's a tough nut to crack. Seems like a small price to pay, however, when it's so wonderfully robotic underneath. Oh, and speaking of the Kinect -- don't suppose you've read our full review?
New 11.6-inch MacBook Air ripped to pieces, exposing proprietary parts
The entire world saw the 13-inch MacBook Air exposed to the elements before it was announced on stage, but its 11.6-inch younger brother is just now getting the teardown treatment. iFixit tore the tiny machine asunder, and found even more miniature battery packs nestled in its 0.68-inch-thick frame. Like Apple's previous Air, the components here are proprietary, and the 2GB memory module's actually soldered to the board -- some tradeoffs had to be made for miniaturization, we suppose, and we can't deny the result is a beautiful machine inside and out. On the plus side, the Toshiba solid state drive seems to be modular, so there's some modest upgrade potential there if you can find a supplier of the mini-SATA boards. Still, kids -- don't try this at home.
10-hour MacBook delicately disassembled, battery transplanted into earlier model
Not a single day passes since Apple refreshed the MacBook and already the fine folks at iFixit are on the job. For the most part, its full disassembly is business as usual, as only a few components -- CPU, GPU and battery -- have changed since the last go-round. That last is of special interest, however, because iFixit says the battery is exactly the same shape as its former -- all you have to do to get an extra 350 mAh for your existing plastic MacBook is to drop in a refreshed battery. Mind you, the new cells weigh more and it's likely the new silicon that's actually responsible for 10 hours of battery life, but should your Li-ion pack fail under warranty, your older MacBook might be returned with more juice than you'd bargained for. See the full teardown at our source link.
15-inch Core i5 MacBook Pro torn asunder: no alarms and no surprises
By now, the fine folks at iFixit have probably seen the insides of more MacBooks than they care to count, but the guilty pleasure of ripping those aluminum cases to shreds keeps them (and us) coming back for more. This week, while we gave our new 15-inch MacBook Pro a thorough review, they were busy tearing theirs apart and admiring the juicy insides. Aside from the obvious processor upgrade, not much has changed since 2009 except the odd antenna and tri-wing screw, but it appears that the AirPort / Bluetooth assembly now resembles that of the 13-inch unibody MacBook. You will also find nice hi-res shots of the brand-new Intel BD82HM55 Platform Controller Hub -- also known as Intel's HM55 Express chipset -- at the source link.
Chumby One gets the iFixit treatment, greets world with a cute hidden message
We've already played with the Chumby One and fell for it, so it did hurt a bit when our friends at iFixit decided to rip this cute device apart. Actually, it wasn't as heartbreaking as we thought, especially when the hackers spotted a cute message below the Kingston 2GB microSD card -- containing the firmware -- on the logic board, courtesy of Andrew "bunnie" Huang, VP Hardware Engineering and Founder of Chumby Industries. Other notable discoveries include a Freescale i.MX233 processor, Hynix 64MB DDR RAM and a removable "Ralink-based RT2571 USB Wi-Fi dongle" (note: extra USB port!). Feel free to check out the guts after the break -- just promise you won't cry or faint.
27-inch iMac torn into tiny bits for the greater good
You've seen the outside of what the new iMacs look like, but do you know what's inside them? If you guessed "lots of tiny components," you win! The folks at iFixit are always on the bleeding edge when it comes to taking big things and turning them into series of smaller things, and they don't disappoint us here. No real surprises, just a few notes, like the external display won't be able to be powered without the integral one being on as well, that the lack of a Blu-ray drive is described as a "bag of hurt," and that "the SuperDrive just doesn't seem so super anymore." Like we said, no surprises, but lots of fun pics.
