iFixit Tears Down the Sixth-Generation iPod touch

iFixit, they of the electronic teardown fetish, have worked their magic on Apple’s new sixth-generation iPod touch. The teardown provides a closer look at the innards of the new device.

MacRumors:

… the device has a 1,043 mAh rated lithium-ion battery and 1GB of SK Hynix LPDDR3 RAM. Comparatively, the fifth-generation iPod touch released in 2012 had a 1,030 mAh rated battery and 512MB of RAM.

The teardown also reveals an Apple A8 processor, M8 motion co-processor, Toshiba NAND flash memory, InvenSense MP67B 6-axis gyroscope and accelerometer, a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi module, and Broadcom and Texas Instruments touchscreen controllers.

iFixit rates the new iPod touch received a relatively low repairability score of 4/10, (with 10 being the easiest to repair.) They cite the following as factors contributing to the low score:

• While very difficult, opening the case and replacing components is not impossible.
• The battery is adhered with pull tabs that should aid in battery replacement.
• Many components are soldered together, requiring either a very difficult or a very expensive repair if any one part breaks.
• There are no external screws. Instead, a combo of clips and adhesive makes it difficult to open the case.
• Ribbon cables connected to the logic board run over the top and connect on the bottom, making it difficult to remove the board or disconnect the cables.