Inside the iPad 3: Tearing Apart Apple's Latest Creation
The iPad 3 launched this morning to queues at stores around the world (unless you went to Walmart at midnight last night). It's a tradition for the most die-hard of Apple fans to camp out for the latest products. Now that the crowds are dispersing, it's time for another tradition -- tearing that sucker apart.
Old favorite iFixit stepped up to the plate yesterday having procured one of the new iPads from a midnight opening in Melbourne, Australia. It's now been officially confirmed that the iPad 3 has twice the RAM of the iPad 2. Aside from 1 GB of DRAM (comprised of two 4Gb Elpida LP DDR2 parts), iFixit found that much talked about dual-core Apple A5X processor with integrated quad-core graphics, a 9.7-inch Samsung-manufactured Retina Display, a Broadcom BCM4330 802.11a/b/g/n Baseband/Radio with Integrated Bluetooth 4.0+HS, a Qualcomm MDM9600 3G and 4G wireless modem (not the expected 2nd generation MDM9615), and a Qualcomm RTR8600 multi-band/mode RF transceiver for LTE bands. The iPad also boasts 16, 32 or 64 GB of Toshiba NAND flash memory and a 5 MP HD rear-facing camera.
The biggest thing you'll see when taking apart the iPad is the battery, which is massive. This was expected, considering Apple has beefed up the graphics and added that stunning Retina Display. The battery in the iPad 2 was a 25 watt-hour Li-ion, while the iPad 3 boasts a 42.5 watt-hours battery. iFixit reports that takes most of the space inside the iPad. No kidding, look at that thing.
As far as DIY repairs are concerned, the iPad 3 scores a depressing 2 out of 10 on the repairability scale/ No surprise there, really, as Apple has gained some notoriety for making its products inaccessible when it comes to home repairs. What is surprising is that iFixit is actually downgrading the iPad 2's score from last year, too.
"While the new iPad's design is essentially the same as the iPad 2, which we gave a repairability score of 4, we've learned a lot about the design since then. We've spent the last year trying to repair the iPad 2 with mixed success," writes Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit. "We are awarding the new iPad an abysmal 2 out of 10, and retroactively dropping the repairability score of the iPad 2 to a 2 as well. The adhesive on the front is extremely difficult to remove without damaging the glass, making repair and end-of-life recycling very difficult."
So, don't try this at home unless you have supreme confidence in your tinkering skills.
Huh? AMD what? Kids, that brings me to my next topic . . . Just say no to crack!
And that is why I shy away from locked-down products. If you aren't going to make it durable (glass screen *cough*), at least make it accessible.
Huh? AMD what? Kids, that brings me to my next topic . . . Just say no to crack!
Well said
A tv doesn't have a battery that needs to be replaced. Nor is it something that you carry around that could get dropped is it?
........I've repaired a number of TV's.................. and car stereos........... and etc.,etc get some skills man its a product.
http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-20123375-85/android-ice-cream-sandwich-versus-ios-5-killer-features/
first, their MBA ssd, now their new iPad's widely advertised "retina display"
When you call something "Resolutionary" and is, in fact, made by your main competitor is extremely ironic.
+100 to sammy
Absolutely, because all the competition is sooooo far ahead...yeah...now about that bridge....
Just because you make the raw ingredients that go into a product doesn't mean you know how to make a good product. Anyone can go to the grocery store and buy everything needed to create a 12 course dinner. Doesn't mean they can actually COOK that dinner.
Samsung provides tools. The same way Fender makes guitars that people like Hendrix or Clapton then used to make great music. Samsung is Fender. Apple is Hendrix. Both are responsible for making the final product, but Hendrix (Apple) is responsible for MOST of the end result.
Too bad Samsung doesn't know how to make a tablet despite being able to make the components that go into one. How about that just-announced (at MWC 2012) Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 with the same internals as last year, a case that's almost 2mm thicker and....wait for it.....an SD card slot. One year later and that's all you can bring Sammy?
Great analogy!