teardown
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Myvu Solo's silicon secrets revealed
Ever wonder what's behind those Myvu Solo goggles besides LeVar Burton? Good, because EE Times took a X-acto and splayed the $199 video headset wide. Of interest are those tiny left and right-eye microdisplays with 320 x 240 pixel transmissive color LCDs from Kopin Corp out of wicked Westboro, Mass. Also notable is the weight -- 118-grams -- of which, a good portion is from the cables. Plenty of lewd, techno-gore just beyond the read link. You know, if you can pull yourself away from your ohmmeter long enough.
Amazon Kindle gutted for your viewing pleasure
What is it with this sick pleasure we derive from watching beloved devices torn to pieces by ruthless uber-nerds? Who knows, but it certainly isn't getting old just yet. Amazon's Kindle got just such treatment at the hands of RapidRepair, and if you're one of those doubters that was never quite sold on the Kindle's quirky 90's aesthetic, maybe this will change your mind. Or not.[Via The Raw Feed]
iFixit digs deeper into iPod touch Bluetooth mystery -- discovers 802.11a
So you all remember that not-so-conclusive iFixit teardown of the iPod touch right? The one we all hoped would bring an end to those Bluetooth rumors once and for all. Well, they've updated their findings at our request with more information about the WiFi chipset. What they found was a Marvell W8686B22 802.11a/b/g WiFi system-on-chip inside. Yes, 802.11a according to iFixit, which on its own is interesting since Apple only claims b/g support. The iPhone you'll recall, has a similar Marvell W8686B13 for WiFi and separate CSR 41B14 BlueCore4ROM chip providing the Bluetooth. Of course others like Wi2Wi, have integrated the Marvell WiFi die with Bluetooth for their own single-chip solutions. However, in that case we'd expect to see Wi2Wi branding on the chipface. There are also a few unidentified chips sporting Apple logos which iFixit could not identify. So what's the answer? Nobody knows. As unlikely as it may be, iFixit contends that they, "cannot confirm nor deny the presence of Bluetooth in this device."
iSuppli: new iPod nano costs Apple less than $83 in components
The iPod nano is the "most popular music player in history" according to Steve Jobs. So there's nothing like an iSuppli teardown of the new, 3rd gen device to get the ol' analyst juices flowing. So get this: iSuppli claims that for every $149 4GB nano and $199 8GB nano sold, Apple's components costs are just $58.85 and $82.85, respectively. That's an 18.5% lower direct materials cost than the previous nano. In other words, a substantial increase in margins for what should be a tidy boost in Apple profit after covering R&D costs. The teardown also indicates that Apple has once again opened the money trough to a whole new bevy of suppliers including Dialog Semiconductor, Intersil, and Synaptics. Micron is the big winner here as they supply the NAND flash storage whereas Toshiba provides it for the iPod touch. Could be that the effects of Samsung's NAND factory power outage are starting to show. Enjoy it while you can suppliers, chances are you'll be begging for Apple's business once the next round of product refreshes goes down. Bill of materials after the break.
iPod touch splayed but Bluetooth mystery continues
What a tease. The ifixit tear down we've all been waiting for on the iPod touch fails to specifically exclude the existence of Bluetooth silicon or even point out which chip is providing the WiFi. After all, Broadcom, Marvell, and CSR all offer single-chip solutions with combined WiFi and Bluetooth radios. Hell, they'll even integrate an FM radio if you ask real nice. Ah well, perhaps those of you with more IC-focused eyes can take a look at these snaps and bring an end to the Bluetooth in iPod touch mystery once and for all. Otherwise, we're looking at a Foxconn manufactured iPod with Toshiba (not Samsung) flash NAND memory, Wolfson audio chip, and what appears to be a Samsung manufactured ARM processor presumed to be "very, very similar" to the proc found in the iPhone.
Double iPod dissection: 3G nano, 6G classic go under the knife
You've seen the announcement, you've peeped the hands-on, and you've read the reviews -- but how well do you really know the new iPod nano and classic? Well, thanks to the folks at iFixit, you can get familiar with the little guys inside and out. That's right, the first official tear-downs (or take-aparts, depending on who you ask) have happened to Apple's latest and greatest, and the results are somewhat... um, nerdy. Upon unfastening the eight locking tabs on the nano, iFixit made note of an increase in the use of adhesive, particularly on the click-wheel, making replacement "difficult," as they put it. Additionally, it appears battery replacement will be harder because of its attachment to the logic board with three "though-hole" solder points. Switching over to the classic, the tinkerers find that there is a metal plate on the backside of the screen (for protection against breakage, they suspect), and they discover that the battery is exactly the same as the one used in the 30GB iPod video. Don't take our word for it, however, hit the link and check out all the gory details.
Teardown reveals iPhone parts cost two bills
Unlike video game consoles, phones are typically profitable to manufacture from day one and it turns out that the iPhone is no exception -- far from it, in fact. Teardown specialists at Portelligent claim that the 4GB iPhone runs Apple just $200 worth of components, while the 8GB adds an extra $20, not far off at all from iSuppli's slightly higher estimates from January. Granted those tallies don't include the actual cost of assembling the device -- but even so, those numbers are very far cries from the $500 and $600 asking prices at the register, leaving a healthy $299 and $379 respectively (of which an overwhelming majority are $379) for profit and miscellaneous costs. Interestingly, Portelligent's unceremonious destruction of an iPhone in the name of research revealed no further proof that Hon Hai / Foxconn is the ODM responsible for assembling the darned thing.
Ripping apart a PSP, seeing what's inside
Catchy rock-classical music accompanies this video tutorial of a PSP being dismantled, broken down, ripped apart, torn, exposed. Why would anyone want to tear apart their system? Maybe to replace an LCD screen. Or install a faceplate. Or to make crunchy UMD-flavored sandwich. Regardless of the reason, this user video from SinSin86 should give you a good look at what's inside your PSP. And it's more than just "magic."If for one reason or another, getting Spanish instructions would be more helpful, check out one of our older videos here.[Via DCEmu]
Toshiba Gigabeat S exposed!
Congratulations Toshiba, not only has your new Gigabeat S been well received by the press and spoken of with reverence in the halls of Engadget, but now it's been ushered into the elite realm of "interesting enough to post pictures of its dissection." Anything But iPod did the honors here, and while they found the battery to be easily replaceable, they don't really recommend going to the same lengths they did to check out the processor and the rest. Luckily you can live vicariously and peep these nudie pics from the comfort of your own home.
