Apple Watch chips laid bare in X-ray, microscope imagery

Posted:
in Apple Watch edited April 2015
Following Friday's Apple Watch teardown, the experts at Chipworks posted a close-up look at the parts that make it tick, including X-ray imagery of Apple's new S1 system-on-chip design.




In its own teardown, Chipworks noted that with all the new and proprietary technology Apple built in to Apple Watch, the device is the most sophisticated attempt at a wearable product to date. The firm points out that most devices on the market run on relatively old embedded chips, while Apple developed an entirely new package for Watch.

Since Apple's S1 SoC is encased in thin metal, Chipworks turned to X-ray imagery to peek inside before technicians can perform a careful and comprehensive disassembly. Initial images show a new STMicroelectronics 3mm-by-3mm land grid array (LGA) package with 3D digital gyroscope and accelerometer located in a top left corner socket.

Handling capacitive touch input duties is an Analog Devices screen controller bearing the marking AD7166. The part is not listed on the company's website, but Chipworks discovered a Product Change Notification for an "AD7166-202A Cortex M3 Based Cap" dated April 2015. That document has since been removed from ADI's website.

Finally, the firm was able to spot a Texas Instruments OPA2376 Precision op-amp in what appears to be the Apple Watch heart rate sensor module.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    "Relatively old"? Try "ancient and discontinued", like the OMAP in the Moto 270.
  • Reply 2 of 18
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,631member
    Apple Watch is the future, not the past. But apps are the reason one uses it. Without the killer apps, it is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. The problem must be found.

    I think they have a winner. Most just do not realize it, yet.
  • Reply 3 of 18
    dachardachar Posts: 330member
    It would be interesting to know how the insides to the two watches compare. Do they have the same circuit board and battery size?
  • Reply 4 of 18
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    eriamjh wrote: »
    Apple Watch is the future, not the past. But apps are the reason one uses it. Without the killer apps, it is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. The problem must be found.

    I think they have a winner. Most just do not realize it, yet.

    The sooner the phrase "killer app" gets banned the better. What is the "killer app" of the iPhone and iPad? Does the Internet count as an app?
  • Reply 5 of 18
    isteelersisteelers Posts: 738member
    eriamjh wrote: »
    Apple Watch is the future, not the past. But apps are the reason one uses it. Without the killer apps, it is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. The problem must be found.

    I think they have a winner. Most just do not realize it, yet.

    That's what I think is most intriguing about the device. I like what it does now, but can't wait to see what creative developers come up with once it has been out awhile.
  • Reply 6 of 18
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post





    Chipworks noted that with all the new and proprietary technology Apple built in to Apple Watch, the device is the most sophisticated attempt at a wearable product to date.

     

    Nonsense... ask any Fandroid (easy to find in basements of all parents) and they will tell you they can easily build a watch just like this for 1/3 the cost using off-the-shelf components at Walmart... assuming of course that Fandroids are daring enough to leave the relative comfort and safety of mommy's basement to venture to the outside world to obtain said components, also taking into consideration of the possibility of mommy giving them the money to buy the parts.

  • Reply 7 of 18
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    We usually use the term, X-Ray Microscopy.
  • Reply 8 of 18
    foadfoad Posts: 717member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    The sooner the phrase "killer app" gets banned the better. What is the "killer app" of the iPhone and iPad? Does the Internet count as an app?



    I agree. Just like with the iPhone and iPad, what makes the devices work for everyone will be different, maybe even more so with the Watch. What is truly amazing is the platforms that Apple has developed. It isn't any one thing, it's what these devices are allowing people to do.

  • Reply 9 of 18
    chris_cachris_ca Posts: 2,543member
    Did they find a picture of an Apple tree falling on and android?
  • Reply 10 of 18
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,310moderator
    rogifan wrote: »
    What is the "killer app" of the iPhone and iPad? Does the Internet count as an app?

    The internet counts as an app. If app=application as in an activity then the internet counts, if app=application as in software then it's the browser/webkit. The mobile internet is one of the most important aspects of iOS. Even the App Store, which makes billions in revenue and supports thousands of developers is a cloud-based system.

    The iPhone and iPad both have activities and software that the devices are primarily used for - gaming and social networking/browsing. Gaming makes up something like 80-90% of all App Store revenue and these two activities make up over 70% of the usage of the iPhone and iPad.

    If devices had no primary utility, you wouldn't use them and you eventually wouldn't buy them. The primary usage for the watch would include notifications, possibly Siri, payments, maps, music playback, fitness tracking. The usage pattern will become clearer after a certain period of time.
  • Reply 11 of 18
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,631member
    THe killer app is not a particular app. It's THE app that the fence sitter has decided he can't live without.

    Ok, ok. It's cliche. But the concept is still valid.

    Needless to say, the Apple watch is going to be huge. I hope I make a lot of money from their stock because if it.
  • Reply 12 of 18
    ktappektappe Posts: 823member
    Aaaaand chipworks.com is down. AI hug of death?
  • Reply 13 of 18
    knowitallknowitall Posts: 1,648member
    Marvin wrote: »
    ... The primary usage for the watch would include notifications, possibly Siri, payments, maps, music playback, fitness tracking. The usage pattern will become clearer after a certain period of time.

    The primary usage would of course be looking at the time and possibly using it as a health and fitness tracking device (when GPS is built-in).
  • Reply 14 of 18
    sflocal wrote: »
    Nonsense... ask any Fandroid (easy to find in basements of all parents) and they will tell you they can easily build a watch just like this for 1/3 the cost using off-the-shelf components at Walmart... assuming of course that Fandroids are daring enough to leave the relative comfort and safety of mommy's basement to venture to the outside world to obtain said components, also taking into consideration of the possibility of mommy giving them the money to buy the parts.
  • Reply 15 of 18
    sflocal wrote: »
    Nonsense... ask any Fandroid (easy to find in basements of all parents) and they will tell you they can easily build a watch just like this for 1/3 the cost using off-the-shelf components at Walmart... assuming of course that Fandroids are daring enough to leave the relative comfort and safety of mommy's basement to venture to the outside world to obtain said components, also taking into consideration of the possibility of mommy giving them the money to buy the parts.

    Now that's really nonsense!! I respectfully suggest you take a couple of weeks to do what you say is possible and report back to us.
  • Reply 16 of 18
    Wait until the broader medical research community starts. We will have skin sensors or implanted sensors testing everything from heart to blood sugar and O2. Untold metabolic testing analysis monitored and transmitted via bluetooth directly to your iPhone and the physician. Then send you reports or tell you to get in right away. Even call 911 for you when your are having an arrhythmia. Just wait, in the long run we will be uncovering what is below the tip of the iceberg.
  • Reply 17 of 18
    misamisa Posts: 827member
    freshh20 wrote: »
    Wait until the broader medical research community starts. We will have skin sensors or implanted sensors testing everything from heart to blood sugar and O2. Untold metabolic testing analysis monitored and transmitted via bluetooth directly to your iPhone and the physician. Then send you reports or tell you to get in right away. Even call 911 for you when your are having an arrhythmia. Just wait, in the long run we will be uncovering what is below the tip of the iceberg.

    I think the latter is probably going to be what gets people to buy this. Being able to health monitor yourself, or your family members, and call 911 if the conditions present that the wearer is in danger when they shouldn't be. Having the watch prompt "you seem in distress, call 9/11?" could help.
  • Reply 18 of 18
    I would wait for the next version, more health features like an oximeter were expected in this unit, and the lack of groundbreaking features make it un-needed for me.

    I suspect some big tie-in to the Apple TV relaunch, whenever that happens, however, we shall see.
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