ifixit teardown
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Teardown reveals how much hardware Samsung crams into the Galaxy Z Flip
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip lays out a welcome mat for dust and debris. But while the hinge gap is concerning, it is impressive that Samsung was able to fit so many components into a foldable design. iFixit's teardown reveals a stack of two minuscule motherboards and two battery cells crammed into the palm-sized device. And thanks to its modular parts, it's slightly more repairable than Motorola's new foldable Razr.
iFixit opens up iPad mini with Retina display
The diminutive powerhouse known as the iPad mini with Retina display has just been pulled apart by the evil geniuses at iFixit. In one of its patented teardowns of new Apple technology, the team took Apple's latest iPad mini and subjected it to a mock autopsy, looking at each and every component and determining how the device is put together -- ostensibly for the purpose of learning how repair shops will (or will not) be able to fix the mini. Some of the highlights of the surgery include finding out that the new mini is 0.3 mm thicker than the original model, that the Retina display is made by LG and that a lot of the components are identical to those used in the iPad Air. Of course, the iFixit teardowns all come down to one thing: the repairability score. The new iPad mini gets a dismal score of 2 out of 10 for repairability -- it should be noted that the quite similar (in size and capability) Kindle Fire HDX received a 7 out of 10 score. As usual, iFixit offers a lot of comments, fascinating insights and links to humorous YouTube videos, so be sure to get yourself to its website for a quick look.
Daily Update for October 25, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
iFixit tears down new MacBook Pros
What would the announcement of new Apple equipment be without an iFixit teardown a few days later? Don't even think about it, because it will never happen. This week, iFixit eagerly tore into the newly introduced MacBook Pros. Both the 13- and 15-inch models of the Retina display MacBook Pro (late 2013) were given the pentalobe screwdriver, spudger and heat gun treatment to take them down to the component parts. We'll cut to the chase -- there are a lot of nice new components inside each of the boxes, but they're even less repairable than last year's kitten-infused models. iFixit scores repairability on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being the best. Both new MacBook Pros ended up with a score of 1. Why such a low repairability score? Well, the battery is glued into place to cover screws that may need to be removed to access other components; the Retina display is one big unit; RAM is soldered into place; and the devices use non-standard SSD drives. One interesting fact: the battery size has been reduced in both of the new models, and the MacBook Pros rely on the power-sipping Intel Haswell processors and the power management capabilities of OS X Mavericks to improve battery life. In a few years, when advances in both the size and complexity of applications and files make these portable speedsters seem like slowpokes, you won't be able to extend their lives by popping open the hood and upgrading the SSD and RAM. Hopefully by that point we may not need notebook computers.
iFixit tears down the iPhone 5c
Last night, iFixit started to take apart the iPhone 5s, and now the repair shop has fixed its sights on the iPhone 5c. This latest guide by iFixit delves into the differences between the iPhone 5c and both the 5s and 5. It kicks off with some commentary on the meaning of the "c" in the phone's name -- does it stand for "color," "cheaper," "childish" or something else? The teardown points out in several places that the iPhone 5c is very similar to the iPhone 5. It shares many of the same hardware specs and is basically an iPhone 5 with a plastic casing. It's not an iPhone 5 clone, though, and actually shares some features of the iPhone 5s, like a snug-fitting display assembly, a bigger battery and a very similar internal case design. Just like the iPhone 5s, the 5c is given a repairability score of 6 out of 10. According to iFixit, removing the screen and accessing the battery are moderately easy. Replacing these components, though, is no cakewalk with extra-strength adhesive getting in the way of the battery and antenna.
A look inside the new 2013 Airport Extreme
iFixit gets busy whenever Apple announces new hardware. Not only did the repair company tear down the new 2013 MacBook Air, it also cracked open the new Airport Extreme. According to iFIxit, the tall, rectangular device is a series of "vertical circuit boards surrounding a big empty space." This space is big enough to hold a 3.5-inch hard drive, but iFIxit needs to look at the new Time Capsule to determine whether a DIYer could save some cash by purchasing an AirPort Extreme and installing their own hard drive into the device. Good news on the repair front as the AirPort Extreme A1521 is relatively easy to crack open and repair. The unit was given a Repairability Score of 8 out of 10 with a few points lost because you have to disassemble most of the device to clean the fan. Some of the connectors are also small and could easily break, iFixit added. You can read more about the 2013 AirPort Extreme teardown on iFixit's website.
iFixit's teardown of the 21.5-inch iMac
It's December 1, 2012. The newest iteration of the 21.5-inch iMac has been out for a full day, and the staff at iFixit has already carefully disassembled one of the new all-in-one Macs to determine how repairable it is -- or isn't -- and what makes the latest iMac tick. The first thing the iFixit team was unhappy with was the use of adhesives to attach the display assembly to the body of the computer. Rather than strong magnets, used in the previous series of iMacs, the display is basically glued on and requires a heat gun and guitar picks to remove. The display itself sports the same model number (LG LM215WF3) as the previous 21.5-inch iMac, but strangely enough it's 5mm thinner than the older display. iFixit surmises that "Apple took all the same pieces of the LCD and crammed them into a smaller housing." If the display is the same, the interior of the iMac is a pleasant surprise. The team reports that "nothing about the inside of this iMac resembles last year's model." Owners of the new model can download a free wallpaper cropped properly to give your iMac that "Transparent Man" look. Other finds include a new, beefier cable for the FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones (most likely to assist with background noise reduction), big speaker enclosures, and "user replaceable" RAM -- although you'll need to unglue your display and remove the logic board to snap in more RAM. The 27-inch model expected in a few weeks allegedly has a small hatch on the back to enable easier RAM upgrades. The CPU features a "honkin' heat sink" that channels heat right into the fan. iFixit gave the new iMac a 3 out of 10 score on repairability -- the previous generation boasted a 7 out of 10. We're looking forward to seeing the iFixit teardown of the new 27-inch model in a few weeks. If your teardown preferences lean toward leaving the computer alone and focusing on the new, oddly shaped iMac box, Ars Technica has the full unboxing rundown.
iFixit looks inside the iPad mini
On the eve of the big iPad mini retail launch, iFixit managed to secure one of these petite-sized tablets and proceeded to tear the unit down. Early analysis of the mini shows that, internally, it is more than just a small version of the iPad. According to iFixit, the iPad mini is the first iOS device to include two speakers. iFixit attributes this change to the small size of the Lightning port, which let Apple squeeze in a speaker on either side of the connecter. Unlike other iPads that had replaceable dock connectors, the Lightning dock on the iPad mini is soldered to the logic board. If you damage your charging port, it could be an expensive fix. Thankfully, the Lightning connector is designed to be inserted in any orientation, which should lessen accidental damage to the charging connection. iFixit examined the display assembly on the iPad mini and found that the LCD display and the front glass were seperate entities. This design decision will make it less expensive to replace a cracked glass screen. Despite rumors that Apple was ditching Samsung, the iPad mini disassembled by iFixit also includes a Samsung display. Samsung denied the rumor and this confirms that Samsung is still supplying some displays for Apple. As of the writing of this post, iFixit is still analyzing the device. Head over to the repair company's website and follow the tear down as it unfolds.
Microsoft Surface exposes its guts to iFixit, knows if you've been meddling with it
Now that the Microsoft Surface is in the wild and we've probed it from the outside, the tool-toters at iFixit have opened one up to see what makes it tick -- and whether you dare attempt a repair yourself. The first thing they noticed was how tricky it was to remove a plastic access cover, which caused unavoidable damage to the tamper-evident label when they finally got it off. That would tip repair depots that you've been rummaging about, likely rendering your warranty moot. Other sore spots included the LCD and glass being fused together, along with a keyboard connector that's impossible to get out without pulling the display off first. On the plus side, the iFixit team found the battery easy to remove despite being glued to the case (unlike other recent devices), and many un-soldered components that were also swappable. All that added up to a score of four on the repairability scale -- meaning that fixing one probably isn't a great DIY project, unless you're the patient type.
iFixit tears down the 13" Retina MacBook Pro (with kittens!)
What's better than an iFixit tear-down of a new Mac? A teardown complete with a "21-Day-Old Kitten Late 2012"! The iFixit team did their usual thorough job of gently disassembling and inspecting each part of a brand new 13" Retina MacBook Pro, but it's extra-special this time because there are kitten pictures! It's like they knew I'd be reading it... Among the findings reported to TUAW by Miroslav Djuric of iFixit, other than the fact that kittens are sooooo cute, were: "The most striking layout change in the 13" version is the rearranged battery cells. Their placement allowed Apple's designers to cleverly tuck the SSD away underneath the trackpad assembly. This time we're excited to find two of the six battery cells held in with screws and no adhesive. Battery removal took us roughly 15 minutes to complete, and we didn't have to use a heat gun. All we needed was a Torx screwdriver and three spudgers. At first we thought we found some kitten fuzz inside a couple of screw holes, but it turns out that Apple glued in a small piece of steel-wool-like metal on top of two of the speaker screws. Just five screws keep the trackpad in place. You can actually replace it if it breaks, which is pretty much impossible on the 15" model (since the trackpad is covered by the battery)." Other important information: when you first pop the case open, the integrated parts look like a grumpy face. Why that 13" Retina MacBook Pro has a grumpy face when it's being nuzzled by a sweet little kitten is beyond me, but it does. Enjoy the teardown and that sweet little boo-boo.
iFixit tears down the 5th-generation iPod touch
According to Apple, it's "engineered for maximum funness." iFixit, the repair site that regularly sacrifices new electronic devices to the goal of helping those who repair them, wanted to get inside the new iPod touch "to see just how much 'funner' the new generation is compared to the older generations." With heat gun and spudger in hand, they carefully disassembled a new blue iPod touch. One cool thing they discovered right off the bat was that there's a little button to push on the back of the new touch. It's a retractable post for the color-matched carrying "loop" that Apple includes with your iPod touch. After getting past the adhesive and clips that hold the display on, iFixit's team unscrewed an EMI shield to reveal the huge Li-ion battery inside. At several points in the teardown, iFixit notes that "Apple is simplifying and grouping components in its products" and that this is "inadvertently putting an end to repairability." They give the iPod touch fifth Generation a repairability score of 3 out of 10, with 10 being the easiest to repair. The moral of the story? Get AppleCare for your products, since third-party repairs may be hard to come by and/or expensive.
iFixit tears into the new iPod touch, bemoans lack of repairability
The folks over at iFixit have gotten their tool-sporting hands all over the new iPod touch, giving Apple's latest music player the customary detailed teardown. The alien autopsy-esque dissection reveals the device's A5 processor, flash memory from Toshiba and a lot of parts secured firmly in place. The latter, naturally, has led to a pretty dismal repairability score for the touchscreen player -- a three out of 10 -- nothing new, really, for Cupertino products, though the company seemed to be moving in the other direction with the new iPhone. Check the source link below for all the gory details -- and yes, iFixit even goes so far as calling the device's home button "weak." Oh snap, guys.
iFixit tears down the iPhone 5
As soon as the iPhone 5 went on sale, iFixit had a version of the phone in its hands and was working with the folks from Chipworks to disassemble the device and identify all the internal goodies. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Apple delivered another exceptional handset that is refreshingly easy to repair. After removing the external pentalobe screws, iFixit was able to easily remove the display assembly with a suction cup because the iPhone 5 is opened front to back. This contrasts starkly with the iPhone 4/4S display, which iFixit says took 38 steps to remove. iPhone owners who are prone to dropping their phone should take comfort knowing that the resulting shattered glass front should be inexpensive and simple to fix. Inside the iPhone 5 are cellular power amplifiers from Avago, Skyworks and Triquint, a Sony-manufactured 1,440mAh battery, 1GB of Elpida DDR2 SDRAM (not Samsung in this particular handset), Qualcomm MDM9615M LTE modem, and a Broadcom BCM5976 touchscreen controller, which is also used in the MacBook Air to control the trackpad. The full list of components is available in the iFixit teardown analysis. In the end, iFixit gave the iPhone a 7 of out 10 score for its repairability. The repair company deducted points for Apple's use of pentalobe screws and its one-piece display assembly that requires you to replace the front glass, digitizer, and LCD all at once. iFixit also noticed that some of the smaller components are soldered onto a ribbon cable, which bumps up the repair price.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 teardown shows easy fixes, skimpy battery
We've already deconstructed Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 on a metaphorical level, and now it's iFixit's turn to go the literal route. The DIY repair outlet found the pen-friendly tablet to be one of its easier tablet teardowns in recent memory: just about everything inside that frame can be swapped out individually. It's even possible to replace the relatively cheap glass that sits on top of the considerably pricier LCD, just in case the slate plummets face-first but leaves some chance at salvaging its screen. While largely coming back with good news, the investigation also explains Samsung's decision to go with a modest 7,000mAh battery -- stuffing all those components into a 0.35-inch thick frame doesn't leave much room for the lithium-ion pack that gives them life. Still, if you're itching to understand what defines a truly repairable tablet, or just want to get a peek at those Galaxy S III-derived roots, the full surgical procedure is available at the source.
Google's Nexus 7 tablet hits the iFixit teardown labs
We can always count on iFixit to get down and dirty with its spudger and the latest tablet tech, and we're not going home empty handed today. The latest victim happens to be Google's recently announced Nexus 7, which has achieved a "repairability score" of 7 out of 10 (the Kindle Fire squeaked one notch past with an 8), with many accessible components including a replaceable battery and standard Phillips screws. While the site's ultimate goal is to illustrate the delicate process of opening our gadgets while leaving them unharmed, the good folks at iFixit never fail to entertain us in the process, with two dozen high-res photos of the Nexus 7's innards littering the 21-step repair guide. The most disappointing discovery appears to be the display, which is permanently affixed to its Corning glass covering, but given the tablet's $200 price tag, replacing such a component is not likely to be a cost-effective proposition. There's plenty more to gawk over, but you'll need to head to iFixit to, well, get your fix. Click on through at our source link below.
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?
