Apple's fourth-gen iPod shuffle disassembled (teardown photos)

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple's smallest portable media player has been put under the microscope, with a thorough disassembly offering a peek inside the fourth-generation iPod shuffle.



As usual, iFixit got their hands on Apple's latest hardware and wasted no time in taking it apart. The new hardware carries a model number of A1373, updated from the A1271 designation of the previous generation hardware.



The updated iPod shuffle marks the return of buttons to the media player, which were absent from the previous generation. Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs even conceded last week that "people clearly missed the buttons."



The tightly packed hardware is particularly difficult to open, iFixit noted. "It took us a good half hour of prying and heat-gunning to open the little guy," they said. This is because back clip was is press-fit and glued onto the body of the device.



Other details noted by the solutions provider in its teardown:



The new iPod shuffle has smaller retail packaging, but the box it ships in was not particularly small. "Apple could have shipped 30 iPod shuffles in this box," they said. "Literally."



The fourth-generation hardware has a height of 1.14 inches, width of 1.24 inches, depth of 0.34 inches, and weight of 0.44 ounces.



The control ribbon cable is just 1/8 of an inch wide, and the logic board is held in place by just one screw. The battery is soldered to the logic board.



The 3.7V lithium-ion battery has a listed capacity of .19 Whr, which is good for 15 hours of audio playback.



The manufacture dates on the die indicate the hardware was built in late June and early August of 2010.





For more details and photos, check out the full teardown at iFixit.



Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    29922992 Posts: 202member
    looks... tiny?!

    Good to see what's inside though.
  • Reply 2 of 11
    I guess we won't be adding more storage or over-clocking this little bugger, but what really pisses me off is that they soldered the battery in so it is not user replaceable eh!
  • Reply 3 of 11
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Damn_Its_Hot View Post


    I guess we won't be adding more storage or over-clocking this little bugger, but what really pisses me off is that they soldered the battery in so it is not user replaceable eh!



    They say it takes half an hour to take it apart, so soldering is the least of your problems. However, I think it would be nice if more people got outside their comfort zone and learned a few more skills, if nothing else but to broaden your skill set a bit. Soldering is pretty interesting and not that hard in my opinion.



    Three of the disassembly steps are just fawning over the device, they don't start the actual teardown until step 4.
  • Reply 4 of 11
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    edit: Pipped by JeffDM.
  • Reply 5 of 11
    I think I am going to start offering battery replacement in iPod shuffles for $49. Installation included.
  • Reply 6 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bjojade View Post


    I think I am going to start offering battery replacement in iPod shuffles for $49. Installation included.



  • Reply 7 of 11
    Make the box too small and your "inventory shrinkage" will increase a lot
  • Reply 8 of 11
    "This is because back clip was is press-fit and glued onto the body of the device."



    huh?
  • Reply 9 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by alectheking View Post


    "This is because back clip was is press-fit and glued onto the body of the device."



    huh?



    I'll be the grammar police this time, okay? I think it should have read:



    "This is because the back clip is press-fitted and glued onto the body of the device."



    You thunk I dun good?
  • Reply 10 of 11
    I guess they didn't put it back together again.
  • Reply 11 of 11
    Black is the new yellow... Err, I mean, buttons is the new touch...!
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