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iPhone 3GS: $179 to build says iSuppli
iSuppli's just released its estimated cost of Apple's newest offering, the iPhone 3GS. Total costs for the 16GB model costs $178.96 to manufacture, according to them -- give or take $4.63 more than the 8GB iPhone 3G estimate from last year. It's also about $40 more than iSuppli's most recent manufacturing estimate for the Palm Pre. The estimate covers only materials, and doesn't take into account various costs such as shipping and distribution, packaging, royalty fees or all the miscellaneous accessories included with each handset. Regardless, it definitely looks like Apple's managed to step up the innards of the phone without a significant bump in costs.
iFixit publishes iPhone 3G S teardown
Our screwdriver-happy pals over at iFixit have taken on the iPhone 3G S and the results do not disappoint!The iPhone 3G S doesn't just look like its predecessor externally, the internal physical design is also nearly identical. The location of the components on the main PCB has changed, but the actual physical design is the same,A few highlights: The battery is only 6% larger than that of the iPhone 3G, so increased battery performance probably comes from better hardware and software efficiency. There is an additional antenna connection near the dock connector. iFixit isn't sure what that's for right now, but they'll continue to investigate. According to the iFixit guys, the new screen does seem slightly easier to clean, thanks to its oleophobic technology. Even cooler, Richard Lai (one of our Talkcast regulars, hi Richard!) recorded video of much of the process with an iPhone 3G S! You can check out all the YouTube clips here or view one of the clips by continuing on!
iPhone 3GS gets the quick and dirty tear apart treatment, already (update: could do 833MHz and 720p video)
Well that was fast. Orange Boutique in Paris, France did a midnight release of the iPhone 3G S, and the gang at Rapid Repair were there to pick one up and subsequently rip their new toy to shreds. There isn't much here in terms of analysis of parts yet, it's more so just a quick and dirty job to get it out to the world, but hey, if you're into watching someone rip apart brand new, expensive gadgetry, we've got just the gallery for you.Update: They've identified the chipset as the SoC S5PC100 from Samsung and thus confirm an ARM Cortex A8 running at 600 MHz (operates at up to 833MHz though) and the ability to record 720p video and handle real-time video conferencing should Apple choose to go in that direction (iPhone 3G S records VGA only). PowerVR SGX graphics and 256MB of RAM too as expected. S5PC100 block diagram after the break.Read -- S5PC100 [warning: PDF]Read -- RapidRepair Teardown
iPhone 3G S gets the quick and dirty tear apart treatment, already
Well that was fast. Orange Boutique in Paris, France did a midnight release of the iPhone 3G S, and the gang at Rapid Repair were there to pick one up and subsequently rip their new toy to shreds. There isn't much here in terms of analysis of parts yet, it's more so just a quick and dirty job to get it out to the world, but hey, if you're into watching someone rip apart brand new, expensive gadgetry, we've got just the gallery for you.
Amazon Kindle DX gets torn apart, examined
Just as soon as we finally get our hands on a new unit to test out, the boys over at Rapir Repair are racing to rip one apart. And that's just what they've done here with the Amazon Kindle DX. Inside it's got the requisite boards, wires, tape and cat hairs (just kidding), plus an E727NV WN2 wireless card, memory, CPU and Epson E-ink panel controller. It's actually pretty sparse and clean inside of there -- we'd expect nothing less! Hit the read link for the full, glorious disassembling (though there is one more shot after the break).
13-inch MacBook Pro gets torn apart
We've only just started playing with our new 13-inch MacBook Pro, but the cats at iFixit have different ideas -- they've already torn one open for your morbid viewing pleasure. Interestingly, battery replacement involves only the removal of a couple tri-wing screws and a sticker, so the situation isn't totally dire, although we'd obviously prefer if Apple had left well enough alone. Other than that and the addition of FireWire and the SD slot, things seem to be about the same as the original unibody MacBook, but don't take our word for it -- hit the read link and feast your eyes.
Palm Touchstone torn asunder, cost to manufacturer estimated at $5 (update)
As much as we love those guys and gals over at Will It Blend?, we couldn't help but cringe each time they "dissected" any given gadget. The cautious cats over at iFixit, however, are more our style. Gentle, loving, appreciative and respectful -- what else could you want in a gizmo surgeon? Per usual, they've done whatever it takes to get ahold of Palm's new Pre and Touchstone, but rather than basking in the glory of ownership, they promptly unrolled their tool belt, fired up the DSLR and proceeded to dissemble both units for your viewing pleasure. We already know that all those little innards add up to right around $170 (for the Pre, anyway), but there's nothing quite like looking at each and every chip and bit yourself. Hit up the read links below if you find your interest piqued, and don't forget to tip your hat as you exit. Update: Through their official Twitter account, the iFixit folks have chimed in to say they'd be "shocked if it cost more than $5 to manufacture." As always, that's not the whole story and there's probably a good number of other variables justifiably contributing to the cost, but knowing $70 is a bit of a turn-off for some customers, we can only hope that price drops sooner rather than later. Read - Palm Pre teardown Read - Palm Touchstone teardown
Palm Pre and Touchstone get torn down gently, beautifully
As much as we love those guys and gals over at Will It Blend?, we couldn't help but cringe each time they "dissected" any given gadget. The cautious cats over at iFixit, however, are more our style. Gentle, loving, appreciative and respectful -- what else could you want in a gizmo surgeon? Per usual, they've done whatever it takes to get ahold of Palm's new Pre and Touchstone, but rather than basking in the glory of ownership, they promptly unrolled their tool belt, fired up the DSLR and proceeded to dissemble both units for your viewing pleasure. We already know that all those little innards add up to right around $170 (for the Pre, anyway), but there's nothing quite like looking at each and every chip and bit yourself. Hit up the read links below if you find your interest piqued, and don't forget to tip your hat as you exit.Read - Palm Pre teardownRead - Palm Touchstone teardown
Palm Pre already torn to shreds, estimated to cost $170
Zero-day teardowns are now a staple of major new product launches, and Rapid Repair is eager to do the deed on the Pre just a few hours after going on sale. Word like "pry," "razor," "spudge," and "difficult" all make appearances in this one, so the long and the short of it is that you don't want to try doing this yourself unless you're a microsurgeon, an electrical engineer, or you have a total commitment and willingness to destroy your brand new Pre in the name of science. Overall, Rapid Repair estimates $170.02 in components -- but as always, this figure doesn't mean a lot since you can't quantify the blood, sweat, tears, and poached engineers from competitors that went into this product over the last several years.
Cowon S9 gets pulled apart, put back together again
It was bound to happen sooner or later -- this poor Cowon S9 got the vivisection treatment and the startling pics have been posted in the Anything But iPod forums. And guess what? It's choc full of tiny components, a little bit of "wax paper or something," and let's not forget that world renowned AMOLED touch screen. This endeavor hasn't been undertaken in vain, however -- the good doctor has included tons of pics and step-by-step instructions in case you ever have to conduct the operation yourself. You know, in the name of science.
Dell's Mini 10v gets unboxed, cracked wide open, fitted with OS X
Not that Dell's other Mini machines aren't perfect candidates for creating your own hackintosh, but it's stellar to know that the outfit's newest member is as well. After going on sale earlier this month, the Mini 10v has been procured, unboxed and dissected, all in the name of unabashed discovery. Interestingly, it seems as if the RAM slot requires that the keyboard and motherboard be lifted for access, but for even the mildly seasoned computer user, that's absolutely nothing they can't handle. If you're into hardcore, uncensored splayings of newfangled netbooks, the read link is where you need to be, holmes.[Via MyDellMini, thanks Erik]
N97 disassembled on video... sort of
Are you dying to see Nokia's latest, the N97 ripped to shreds in glorious moving pictures? Well, that's too bad: we don't have that. What we do have, however, is a series of photographs of said shred-ripping, turned into a video. A creepy, silent film, if you will, complete with subtitles. Lack of movement and sound aside, it gives us a pretty great look at the innards of the handset, if that's what you're into. Sure, it's not The Goldrush, but if you want to see the N97 in a talkie, there's always that Royksopp video, right? Full video after the break.[Thanks, Mike]
Eee PC 1008HA gets cracked open, ASUS' obsession with Scotch tape revealed
We won't go so far as to say that the innards of ASUS' sexy Eee PC 1008HA are literally held together with tape, but man, there's an atypically high amount of sticky strips in there. If you're curious to see the ins and outs (but mostly the ins) of the first member of the newly created Seashell family, give that read link a look. Just be fully prepared to have your confidence shaken.
Sony's OLED X-series Walkman torn apart, stripped of its dignity
Well, well, well... what do we have here? Oh, it's Sony's anxiously awaited (in the States, that is) OLED X-series Walkman, all ripped to shreds before most of us have even held one in our tiny hands. Yes, a Holmesian sleuth over at Sony Insider has trolled the FCC for the internal shots of this dude, and discovered a few tidbits of heretofore unknown info, namely that the PMP boasts a 250MHz NEC MP201 ARM processor. There's one more shot after the break, and be sure to hit up the read link for all the pertinent, discernable specs.
iSuppli: $359 Kindle 2 costs $185 to build, Whispernet says shhh
Ever wonder how Amazon was able to bundle unlimited Whispernet (Sprint EVDO) with the Kindle 2? To start with, eBooks are small, really small in the context of digital media downloads (music, audio-books, movies) so there's little impact to the Sprint network. Kindle 2 is also sporting a pretty healthy markup to cover the data fees. After conducting its own teardown and analysis, iSuppli estimates that the Kindle 2 costs just $185.49 for materials and manufacturing. The estimate does not include the costs related to marketing, distribution, class-actions, or the pain you feel at having learned the true definition of free. Full press release after the break.
$22 iPod Shuffle shocker: components tiny, inexpensive
When iSuppli recently reported that the parts and packaging of the iPod Shuffle 3G cost only $21.77, a mere twenty-eight percent of the unit's retail price, PMP Today asked a most reasonable question: Where are the new Shuffle KIRFs? According to Business Week, Samsung is making a killing on these things, supplying not only the unit's ARM-based processor ($5.98), but the storage ($6) on at least a few of the units as well. The lithium ion battery, described by iSuppli as "the smallest we've ever seen," has an asking price of $1.20. As for things like capacitors and resistors, they're being described as "about the size of a grain of salt" and cost fractions of a penny each. Of course, none of this takes into account things like paying engineers and designers, and royalties paid to patents owned by other companies. Not that the KIRFsters of Shenzhen worry about these sorts of things. Maybe the wherewithal required to produce a phony Shuffle is (for the time being) beyond the capabilities of the pirates? Or maybe they're just having too much fun cranking out NOKLAs.Read - iPod Shuffle 3G Costs $22 to Make: Where are the Clones?Read - Deconstructing Apple's Tiny iPod Shuffle
Dell Adamo torn to shreds for science and bragging rights
The fine folks at iFixit and TechRepublic have teamed up to show us the innards of Dell's new thin-and-sort-of-light ultraportable Adamo. They also set the laptop up against Apple's MacBook Air to compare build quality and specifics. For instance, the Adamo packs a 11.1 volt 40 Watt hour battery, compared to the Air's 7.2 volt 37 Watt hour battery, and comprises a greater percentage of the weight of the computer than its Air counterpart -- who knew? Overall the Adamo seems to pack a good amount more technology into a slightly heavier package, and takes a small win over the MacBook for nixing the screws on the bottom, not to mention the huge win over its Windows counterparts for skipping out on the Intel and Windows stickers.
Nintendo DSi torn asunder, sized up against DS Lite's innards
Sure, we saw the Nintendo DSi get its teardown treatment back in November, but now that it's available stateside, iFixit's decided to go for round two and rip the portable completely apart, snapping pics at each painful step. Taking it a step further, we also get to see in finer detail some of the differences between the new hardware and its DS Lite predecessor, including the now smaller 840mAh battery that we hear's been contributing to some shorter play sessions. For all the gritty imagery, kindly point your mouse to the read link below.[Via Wired]
DSitality: Tearing down a Nintendo DSi
Some of us looked forward to the Nintendo DSi's release for the new DSiWare, others for the improved tech. But, for the folks at iFixit, it was more about tearing the thing apart.Not only do they provide a picture-by-picture teardown of the Nintendo DSi, but they also compare its guts to that of its predecessor, the DS Lite. Sure, we know all about what's under the hood, but there's a certain charm to looking directly at internal components. Just make sure the kids are tucked in. This is grown folks linkage.
iPod shuffle teardown: guts weigh just 10% more than sheet of paper
Regular readers, you know the drill: interesting product introduced, product splayed wide for nerdgasm pulp. iFixIt has the honors again, this time aiming its Xacto at the new iPod shuffle. After the usual struggle to open Apple's un-serviceable (by consumers) gear, iFixIt notes that the functioning parts of the 3rd gen shuffle weigh only 10% more than a single sheet of letter-sized paper. Hit that read link for the visual gore -- pretty amazing stuff at this scale. [Via 9to5 Mac]
