As usual, iFixit was one of the first to get their hands on a new iPad. They also are the first to take it apart to see what is inside and what has changed from the iPad 2.
If you want to jump ahead and go through the full teardown now then visit the iFixit site. If you just want a quick summary, read on below:
The iPad runs a dual-core A5X processor that has quad-core graphics integrated. The screen measures the same as the previous generations at 9.7 inches but has four times the amount of pixels at 2048×1536 which is quite an astonishing achievement for Apple/Samsung and all those who worked on the technology. This iPad has a bump up in RAM to 1GB which is mostly used for the extra power and storage needed to keep the 4x resolution moving smoothly although it will have benefits in general as well. Also inside are the following:
* Broadcom BCM4330 802.11a/b/g/n Baseband/Radio with Integrated Bluetooth 4.0+HS
* Qualcomm MDM9600 3G and 4G wireless modem (not the expected 2nd generation MDM9615)
* Qualcomm RTR8600 multi-band/mode RF transceiver for LTE bands
Opening up the iPad is a pain due to the amount of glue used by Apple. With it having a unibody construction there are no access panels. It is simply a matter of heating up the glue to pull the screen away and access screws from behind the glass.
Another impressive achievement is the battery increase which has been increased from 25 watt-hour up to 42.5 watt-hours. This allows the iPad with LTE and the extra power needed for the CPU, Retina display still achieve the 9/10 hours on 4G/Wifi respectively.
Although Apple design the iPad extremely well and its one of the most sleek designs on a tablet (in my personal opinion), iFixit could only give the repairability a 2 out of 10 which is almost the lowest grade. This is because Apple makes it extremely challenging to replace a battery for example.
We’ll have our full iPad review up in the next few days.
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