Apple iPad internal hardware revealed in pictures by FCC

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Photos of the internals of Apple's iPad were revealed by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission Friday, offering users their first glimpse into the device Apple has dubbed "magical" and "revolutionary." [Updated with new details]



Apple originally submitted the photos to the FCC on March 12, but they were not made publicly available until Friday. Apple covered over the specific chips on the hardware, concealing them from view.



Update: The blocked out components were removed the FCC PDF file by iFixit, which managed to reveal the A4 processor, NAND flash memory from Toshiba, and a Broadcom BCM5973 chip -- the same used in the third-generation iPod touch. The display also appears to be made by LG Philips.



"It looks like there is a LOT of glue holding these chips down to the board," the solutions provider wrote. "More than we've seen before -- Apple is really serious about durability on this thing."



The series of 17 internal pictures allow a clear view of the back of the display, the large, thin lithium-ion battery, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radio and more. As with most portable devices from Apple, the iPad is a tightly packed machine with no room inside the case put to waste.



Also available for viewing is the iPad "Important Product Information Guide," which includes safety warnings and FCC regulations.



The device has an FCC ID of "BCG-E2381A." A few pictures are included below:



















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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 45
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    ... and let's not overlook that there's a rather conspicuous space reserved for a camera module in the upper part of the aluminum frame, but yet there's no camera installed -



    http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/02/repai...s-camera-slot/
  • Reply 2 of 45
    finetunesfinetunes Posts: 2,065member
    Now we know what's inside.
  • Reply 3 of 45
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FineTunes View Post


    Now we know what's inside.



    yes, only if we knew why it will be so popular and sold



    i guess we'll have to settle with dissecting it
  • Reply 4 of 45
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FineTunes View Post


    Now we know what's inside.



    Stars!
  • Reply 5 of 45
    Does this save countless iPads from disassembly on Saturday afternoon?
  • Reply 6 of 45
    jpcgjpcg Posts: 114member
    I knew it! It's a $499 battery!
  • Reply 7 of 45
    wonderwonder Posts: 229member
    There appears to be loads of room around the sides, not tightly packed at all.
  • Reply 8 of 45
    popnfreshpopnfresh Posts: 139member
    These photos don't reveal much of anything. Anything that might indicate what a component does is covered up.
  • Reply 9 of 45
    sandausandau Posts: 1,230member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by popnfresh View Post


    These photos don't reveal much of anything. Anything that might indicate what a component does is covered up.



    I don't get the point of covering that up, it'll be public knowledge soon enough.



    interesting the (C) 2009. I'll bet this is a late release.
  • Reply 10 of 45
    t0mat0t0mat0 Posts: 58member
    Well from comparing the A4 chip pictures

    ,

    we can say it's the far right greyed out chip on picture 10. Any room in there, might, if Ihnatko is right, actually help with acoustic qualities amongst other things.
  • Reply 11 of 45
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FineTunes View Post


    Now we know what's inside.



    The shattered hopes and dreams of every vendor who attended CES this year?
  • Reply 12 of 45
    And here are the pictures with all chip markings uncovered.



    http://www.anandtech.com/show/3630/a...e-dont-have-to

    http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad-FCC-Teardown/2197/1



    It seems the FCC only obscured the chips digitally in the PDF which means the coverings are easy to remove. I wonder if Apple will try to discipline the FCC like Apple does to other suppliers and partners that pre-release news of Apple products?
  • Reply 13 of 45
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    1) Anyway to tell how much RAM is in there?



    2) Who would have thought that circuit boards could get prettier.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by t0mat0 View Post


    Any room in there, might, if Ihnatko is right, actually help with acoustic qualities amongst other things.



    I think he is correct, but I think the acoustic properties he mentioned were a 2nd result of the air space. I think the primary usage is for cooling the system. He and others stated it doesn't even get warm to the touch. I think the air space is being used by both rather effectively. The iFixit breakdown will give us more angels and insight to the design.
  • Reply 14 of 45
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    1) Anyway to tell how much RAM is in there?



    Probably, by looking up the Toshiba part number.



    What does it matter anyhow? We know the iPad is coming in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB flash capacities. It's pretty meaningless to know which particular size this FCC sample unit is.
  • Reply 15 of 45
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    The shattered hopes and dreams of every vendor who attended CES this year?



    Oooh, nicely done.
  • Reply 16 of 45
    m2002brianm2002brian Posts: 258member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    Probably, by looking up the Toshiba part number.



    What does it matter anyhow? We know the iPad is coming in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB flash capacities. It's pretty meaningless to know which particular size this FCC sample unit is.



    Because the RAM has nothing to do with the SDD size.
  • Reply 17 of 45
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    Probably, by looking up the Toshiba part number.



    What does it matter anyhow? We know the iPad is coming in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB flash capacities. It's pretty meaningless to know which particular size this FCC sample unit is.



    Not Flash NAND, but the RAM. The first two iPhones had 128MB, which was barely enough, the 3GS is 256MB, I'm guessing 512MB for the iPad.
  • Reply 18 of 45
    finetunesfinetunes Posts: 2,065member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wonder View Post


    There appears to be loads of room around the sides, not tightly packed at all.



    Yeh, could be room for more electronics for the next gen--Maybe room for the much wanted camera/video cam for conferencing and Skype.
  • Reply 19 of 45
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wonder View Post


    There appears to be loads of room around the sides, not tightly packed at all.



    Look at the top section containing the LCD. The sides have a components in black plastic. I'm not sure exactly what they are but they do look to fill in a good portion of what looked to be excessive space in the base section.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FineTunes View Post


    Yeh, could be room for more electronics for the next gen--Maybe room for the much wanted camera/video cam for conferencing and Skype.



    There is room for a stylus to fit inside, too. Why is Apple screwing us over again?!
  • Reply 20 of 45
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    Seems a bit cruel to open up something so attractive.
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