New iPod touch, iPod nano gutted in disassembly photos

[AppleInsider]

Both Apple's second-generation iPod touch and fourth-generation iPod nano are expected to be widely available at Apple Retail stores today. The folks at iFixIt have already snagged one of each, tore them down, and weighed in with some observations.

iPod touch

Both the touch's 3.5-inch LCD display as well as its Lithium-ion polymer battery are held in place with strips of double-sided tape. The WiFi antenna and circuitry, which are located at the top of the unit, are connected to the main logic board by wide orange cable that were designed to prevent external noise from interfering with the digital signals as they travel along the device, iFixIt says.

The specialty online reseller, which offers replacement parts for Macs and iPods, was particularly excited by its discovery of an unpublicized Broadcom BCM4325 Bluetooth chip within the device. The particular chipset supports BT2.1+EDR, and is necessary for the touch's built-in support of Nike+ iPod technology. It's unclear, however, whether the chip supports A2DP, which would pave the way for Apple and third-party developers to introduce stereo headphones for the player.

iFixIt also discovered brown rectangular component centered about three quarters of the way down the touch's logic board, which is suspected to be the device's speaker. Other discoveries include a 3.7 V Lithium-ion polymer battery with part number 616-0404, NAND flash memory from Micron with part number 29F64G08TAA, and an Apple-branded Samsung-manufactured ARM processor with SDRAM that's similar to the one employed by the iPhone.







iPod nano

Separately, iFixIt dissected the new iPod nano and observed that the unit's 3.2 mm wide dock connector "looks pretty big compared to the iPod" itself, making it unlikely that Apple will be able to slim down player any further without developing a new dock connector.

A particularly surprising find was that the new nano uses a real piece of curved glass, "about .7 mm thick on the edges, and 1.7 mm thick in the middle," to cover the LCD display. The glass is said to be completely separate from the player's anodized aluminum enclosure, with nothing holding it in place outside the force of the adjacent components.

The LCD itself "is actually almost exactly the same size as the 3rd Gen Nano LCD," iFixIt said, with the only difference being a resolution of 240x320 rather than 320x240.

Among the nano's internal components are a Apple-branded ARM processor manufactured by Samsung in July with on-board DRAM on-package, three other small Apple-branded chips of unknown origin, and an 8 GB Toshiba flash chip. "Unfortunately, the battery is soldered to the logic board," iFixIt said. "Replacing the Nano's battery isn't going to be easy."







For additional photos and precise chip markings, check out the iPod touch and iPod nano tear-downs in their entirety.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[iCarbon]

does the bluetooth in the touch mean that the iphone can be used with the nike+ system?

I just don't need a touch in addition to my iphone. I'm just not that needy (wanty, yes, needy, no).

[stonybrookadam]

According to an older version of the Apple Nike+ faq, "The sensor communicates with the receiver via a proprietary low-power 2.4 GHz radio protocol; this is not Bluetooth or Wi-Fi". This note was redacted as of July 25. Has Apple changed the protocol, and will future Nike+ products run on Bluetooth?
Or, has Apple split the line into two incompatible products? A Nike+ and Nike++, as it were.
Either way, I would LOVE to see a full bluetooth stack available. Tethering would be wonderful.

[Frank777]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Both the touch's 3.5-inch LCD display as well as its Lithium-ion polymer battery are held in place with strips of double-sided tape.

Double-sided tape? What on earth?

[hittrj01]

iFixIt dissected the new iPod nano and observed that the unit's 3.2 mm wide dock connector "looks pretty big compared to the iPod" itself, making it unlikely that Apple will be able to slim down player any further without developing a new dock connector.

I thought about this when the 3rd gen nano came out. If Apple wants to keep making thinner and thinner devices, a new dock connector is mandatory, because the current one is just about as thick as the nano itself. However, unless they make an adapter as well, this would most certainly alienate the accessory crowd, both manufacturers and consumers. As Jobs stated himself, the iPod accessory market is an extremely strong ecosystem, and tossing in a new dock connector would shake that up quite a bit, and not in a good way. With this new nano, it seems Apple has finally gotten to the point where the devices are as thin as they'll get, or they'll have to come up with something new and start the accessory market from scratch once again.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Frank777

Double-sided tape? What on earth?

Easier to replace the battery if need be?

[Booga]

Originally Posted by hittrj01

I thought about this when the 3rd gen nano came out. If Apple wants to keep making thinner and thinner devices, a new dock connector is mandatory, because the current one is just about as thick as the nano itself. However, unless they make an adapter as well, this would most certainly alienate the accessory crowd, both manufacturers and consumers. As Jobs stated himself, the iPod accessory market is an extremely strong ecosystem, and tossing in a new dock connector would shake that up quite a bit, and not in a good way. With this new nano, it seems Apple has finally gotten to the point where the devices are as thin as they'll get, or they'll have to come up with something new and start the accessory market from scratch once again.

The iPod Shuffle uses its audio connector as the dock connector, doesn't it? Somewhere the device has to be thick enough to have an audio connector or a battery capable of running a Bluetooth device for a day, so I don't think we have to worry about the dock connector too much yet.

[ronster]

Originally Posted by stonybrookadam

According to an older version of the Apple Nike+ faq, "The sensor communicates with the receiver via a proprietary low-power 2.4 GHz radio protocol; this is not Bluetooth or Wi-Fi". This note was redacted as of July 25. Has Apple changed the protocol, and will future Nike+ products run on Bluetooth?
Or, has Apple split the line into two incompatible products? A Nike+ and Nike++, as it were.
Either way, I would LOVE to see a full bluetooth stack available. Tethering would be wonderful.

I hope Apple or someone writes a profile for serial Bluetooth communication + A2DP, so we can use aftermarket BT headphones and stuff like GPS...

[Hattig]

Originally Posted by stonybrookadam

According to an older version of the Apple Nike+ faq, "The sensor communicates with the receiver via a proprietary low-power 2.4 GHz radio protocol; this is not Bluetooth or Wi-Fi". This note was redacted as of July 25. Has Apple changed the protocol, and will future Nike+ products run on Bluetooth?
Or, has Apple split the line into two incompatible products? A Nike+ and Nike++, as it were.
Either way, I would LOVE to see a full bluetooth stack available. Tethering would be wonderful.

It might be using Wibree or whatever it is called now. Ah, Ultra Low Power Bluetooth.

So it can use Bluetooth in the receiver (and the transmitter can be smaller), but it's a different protocol and runs at a lower power (and range).

However it does mean that the Touch has Bluetooth capability, should it ever be exposed.

[wheelhot]

Double-sided tape? What on earth?

That's the simplest and lightest and cheapest solution?

I hope Apple or someone writes a profile for serial Bluetooth communication + A2DP, so we can use aftermarket BT headphones and stuff like GPS...

That would be great, especially for GPS, cause you can make a SirFIII GPS device and plot it on the iPhone. There is not many GPS softwares (dont talk about free, that's even harder to find) for the Mac and it seems famous GPS brand like Garmin only make you able to sync to Windows (If im not mistaken, I forgot).

Besides, if you can plot your outdoor activity with the iPhone and use a real good GPS signal receiver (in this case the Sirf III), then that would be wonderful, beautiful interface + ease of use + quality GSP Signal receiver = outdoor enthusiast holy grail item.

[justflybob]

Originally Posted by Frank777

Double-sided tape? What on earth?

So I guess when us old-timers speak of keeping parts together with a combination of spit, bubblegum, bailing wire and duct tape, we were just ahead of our time?

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by hittrj01

I thought about this when the 3rd gen nano came out. If Apple wants to keep making thinner and thinner devices, a new dock connector is mandatory, because the current one is just about as thick as the nano itself. However, unless they make an adapter as well, this would most certainly alienate the accessory crowd, both manufacturers and consumers. As Jobs stated himself, the iPod accessory market is an extremely strong ecosystem, and tossing in a new dock connector would shake that up quite a bit, and not in a good way. With this new nano, it seems Apple has finally gotten to the point where the devices are as thin as they'll get, or they'll have to come up with something new and start the accessory market from scratch once again.

If the device stuck to the insert plate standard, there shouldn't be a problem. Though dropping the Firewire charging kind of threw some products for a loop. I wonder if Apple had put up a notice some time that feature is being deprecated.

Originally Posted by Hattig

It might be using Wibree or whatever it is called now. Ah, Ultra Low Power Bluetooth.

Maybe you are thinking Zigbee?

So it can use Bluetooth in the receiver (and the transmitter can be smaller), but it's a different protocol and runs at a lower power (and range).

However it does mean that the Touch has Bluetooth capability, should it ever be exposed.

It depends on how they implement it. It sounds like they may be off-the-shelf parts but running it out of spec, either for design or licensing reasons. I think the denial that it's Bluetooth turned out to be BS, there were people that managed to snoop in on the Nike+ data traffic using BT receivers. Last I heard, it wasn't even encrypted.

Originally Posted by wheelhot

That's the simplest and lightest and cheapest solution?

I agree, I don't think it's a big deal. For a device that small, screws become a liability.

[SpamSandwich]

I am alone in thinking the iPod touch could be a great VOIP phone platform?

[bugsnw]

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

I am alone in thinking the iPod touch could be a great VOIP phone platform?

I don't follow the more capable iPods. But since I just bought an iPod touch, this is a great question! Anyone? Are we locked out of Skype or other means to VOIP?

[retiarius]

Originally Posted by bugsnw

I don't follow the more capable iPods. But since I just bought an iPod touch, this is a great question! Anyone? Are we locked out of Skype or other means to VOIP?

Well, since Skype already runs on the iPhone:

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satel...=3617144027B05

the iTouch may not be far behind...

[Frank777]

Is it possible to use Ultra Low Power Bluetooth to attach a real keyboard?

[jimdkc]

Originally Posted by Frank777

Double-sided tape? What on earth?

Not sure why anybody is surprised or puzzled or shocked by this. Pretty common in the electronics industry!

Jim

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by Frank777

Is it possible to use Ultra Low Power Bluetooth to attach a real keyboard?

That's another excellent question...

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by retiarius

Well, since Skype already runs on the iPhone:

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satel...=3617144027B05

the iTouch may not be far behind...

Dude, that's not Apple's iPhone!

[NeilM]

Originally Posted by hittrj01

If Apple wants to keep making thinner and thinner devices, a new dock connector is mandatory.

It's not clear to me that they would want to make them a whole lot thinner.

First, there's a need to maintain a physically robust construction. After all, this is a consumer device — people are going to sit on it. Then as the device gets thinner, for a given form of case construction, the container-to-contents ratio gets more and more unfavorable. They're already using a fairly tough metal case that doesn't lend itself to being made of thinner wall material.

Incidentally, the new case is a pretty interesting design. Like the MacBook Air, the curvature lends it strength that a rectilinear case wouldn't offer.

Rather than the device getting much thinner, bringing the connector challenges that people have mentioned, I'd look for future models to pack more features into similar volume.

[Mr. H]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Broadcom BCM4325 Bluetooth chip within the device.

Interesting. This is the first time Apple haven't used a CSR chip for their bluetooth.

[ExodiusX]

Originally Posted by retiarius

Well, since Skype already runs on the iPhone:

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satel...=3617144027B05

the iTouch may not be far behind...

thats a TOTALLY different iPhone....

plz for the love of god don't call it an iTouch.... it sounds incredibly tacky... (even though Apple is notorious for the use of i"something")