iFixit Tears Down Apple's Fifth-Generation iPod Touch

[jmpnop]

Originally Posted by iSee

Seriously, the market has spoken. People value small size and improved battery life over repairability. If Apple made it larger or made the battery smaller in order to make it more repairable, people would be less willing to pay $300.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who prefer repairability over Apple's obsession with thinness.

[aristotle]

Originally Posted by jmpnop

I'm sure there are a lot of people who prefer repairability over Apple's obsession with thinness.

Really? Where are they? Links? Stats?

It is really easy to make up stuff isn't it?

[Detektiv-Pinky]

Wow, I am absolutely amazed by these tiny components on the board.

In the small picture it looks like pieces of dust, however, when you open up the large pictures at iFixits site, it clearly shows that this are very tiny soldered components.

Electronics is close to the point where the whole circuitry just disappears. I think this makes it hard for the next wave of engineering students who need to 'grasp' such thinks to get an understanding of how they work...

[shanmugam]

Originally Posted by aneftp

512MB RAM in iPod Touch 5th gen.

That's 1/2 the RAM as the iPhone 5.

iPod Touch for at least the first 3 generations were at least as fast or slightly faster than their iPhone counterparts cause it was "tweaked" as a gaming device.

Now iPod Touch is the step sister to the iPhone. Never getting the lastest gen specs.

For $299. I can find a very good condition or mint iPhone 4S 16GB. Some of which still have 4-6 months of warranty left on craigslist.

agreed second hand iPhone 4S looks a better deal, usually during heavy thanksgiving/Christmas shopping time, you can easily will find the price $30 - $50 less even at amazon, $299 really the MSRP for iPod touch.

[JHankwitz]

Originally Posted by flopticalcube

$300 and it can't be repaired. Wow!

They didn't say it couldn't be repaired. It can't be customer repaired. This is not unlike most products made today, especially automobiles. I bumped a stone wall with my $32K Prius and the air bags went off. Totaled - Scrap!

[RamGuy]

Such great hardware, but so lacking software.. Apple should really have tossed in some WiFi love and application support on the iPod Nano making it capable of doing offline synchronization of streaming solutions like Spotify.

That would have made this device so much modern, now it's still a plain old regular "MP3"-player. A good looking one, with beautiful software and everything but the age of dedicated MP3-players is slowly dying and those whom need one normally gets something really small like the Shuffle for their workouts or the iPod Touch as a multimedia device. iPod Nano falls in the middle category that people tend to not need anymore.


The iPod Nano 6th generation had a huge success because of the whole "iWatch" thing and to be honest if you took the previous generation iPod Nano and slammed it into a decent wristwatch case it looked damn good. Now they completely ruined that possibility at the same time as they haven't really done any improvement on the functionality. Of course the larger display is logical in terms of touchscreen as the previous generation was simply too small to navigate on but should and could have made so much more out of this device and with a Apple A5 and everything the hardware horsepower is there to support it.

[mikejfrd]

Originally Posted by mesostinky

I posted the same thing other day but I'll repeat it again because I think it is a valid point. The way Apple treats the Touch really annoys me. First off they hamper it with a previous generation cpu and half the ram vs the iphone. Second they use a cheaper screen. Third a weaker previous generation camera. Fourth no gps. And to top it off they charge the same price as an iphone. So by all outward appearances you are getting an iphone minus the cell chipset but in reality they cut corners almost everywhere and give you a cheaper built product. They can of course choose to do that, but then cut the price. And yes I realize an unlocked iphone is more expensive but then again I can buy an iphone from any carrier for those cheaper "subsidized" prices right now, so the comparison holds.
I've owned a few Touch's and think they are cool devices. But lower the darn price already.

They're NOT the same price and your comparison makes no sense. The carriers are eating the difference in price so you sign a 2yr contract. I realize that you understand this concept, so that makes your comparison that much worse.

[morespce54]

"On the other news, iFixit also Tears Down the new iPod Nano only to find... Nothing! It's empty inside!"


...
"Also, iFixit found that the rounded icons were the only ones that could fit in. The squared ones just didn't fit"

[ezdz]

Originally Posted by turtlez

lol @ people complaining you cannot repair it. Same kind of thing as non user replaceable battery. Ask how many people replace the battery in their smart phones (non iPhone) and I bet less than 1% have. I have had a nokia 6220 since 2005 and the battery is still fine.

Hilarious how people use it as an argument not to buy from Apple. They always get caught out when I say "Yeah I would never buy from Apple because I cannot replace the battery in 10 year time!"

Looks > Replacing battery in 10 years when your phone will be extinct just in the hardware performance department.

Why buy a battery for a laptop that can only run windows 3.1? Get me?

My iphone battery is pretty much dead after 2.5 years. My macbook pro battery lasted about the same amount of time. Replacing batteries is an issue, at least for some of us.

[CBlake82]

Anyone recognize that curved ribbon cable from the leaks prior to iP5? They were thinking it was for the iPad mini at the time. Funny stuff.

[AppleMacFinder]

[840quadra]

Originally Posted by RamGuy

Such great hardware, but so lacking software.. Apple should really have tossed in some WiFi love and application support on the iPod Nano making it capable of doing offline synchronization of streaming solutions like Spotify.

<snip>

While I love the new Nano design, what you posted is exactly why I will not buy the newest Nano. The price is somewhat high, and it is crippled without having even the most basic Wireless network connectivity.

At a Minimum, it would be nice to sync with iTunes via Wifi, or better yet, allow Wifi enabled audio / video content applications be installed by 3rd Parties. Would love to have Last.FM, TWiT.TV, and possibly even NetFlix, and YouTube on such a device (yes I watch postage stamp videos).

I will just keep holding onto my 5th generation Nano.

Apple needs a nanotouch™ with wifi and ability to load media consumption applications and or streaming.

[shulerg]

Originally Posted by iSee

Right, because that's what people really want to do with their Ipods: repair them.

Right now there are people tearing open the package containing their brand new iPod Touch, putting a screw driver to it, finding it diffucult to repair and howling to the heavens:

"Oh Noooo! It's not repairable!!! I can't believe I paid $300 for this thing! Damn you Apple! Damn you to hell!"

Seriously, the market has spoken. People value small size and improved battery life over repairability. If Apple made it larger or made the battery smaller in order to make it more repairable, people would be less willing to pay $300.

^^^this sums it up nicely. I have no problem with not being able to repair or access it. All I ask is that people take advantage of Apple's (or others') recycling programs if and when they decide to upgrade. It's aggravating when people just toss electronics away like used paper towels.

[calvol]

Don't see the point of the Touch with the 7" Mini coming out at probably $100 more, and larger screens on cell phones.

[Dorje Sylas]

Originally Posted by calvol

Don't see the point of the Touch with the 7" Mini coming out at probably $100 more, and larger screens on cell phones.

Wow you must have big pockets or a man purse like me.

Actually I sling my full sized iPad across my back in a strapped case messager style, but my iPod Touch keeps my wallet company in my pocket.

[wkadamsjr]

Originally Posted by mesostinky

I posted the same thing other day but I'll repeat it again because I think it is a valid point. The way Apple treats the Touch really annoys me. First off they hamper it with a previous generation cpu and half the ram vs the iphone. Second they use a cheaper screen. Third a weaker previous generation camera. Fourth no gps. And to top it off they charge the same price as an iphone. So by all outward appearances you are getting an iphone minus the cell chipset but in reality they cut corners almost everywhere and give you a cheaper built product. They can of course choose to do that, but then cut the price. And yes I realize an unlocked iphone is more expensive but then again I can buy an iphone from any carrier for those cheaper "subsidized" prices right now, so the comparison holds.
I've owned a few Touch's and think they are cool devices. But lower the darn price already.

What good is GPS in a device without cellular data?

Do you honestly think the screen is cheaper? Makes no sense to have a company manufacturing two different displays for two different devices. The more likely scenario is the "cheaper" refers to the home button design and lack of sensors, as someone else previously noted.

The RAM and processor don't need to be faster, because they don't do as much as an iPhone.

[pizzafordinna]

I was okay with low serviceability back when I knew that Apple used the best parts suppliers (samsung). Now that they're dropping samsung like a hot coal for other 3rd rate suppliers, I'm a little more concerned

[OrangeSVTguy]

Pretty soon iFixit will be out of business since they won't be able to sell parts to fix our products or even take them apart

[fireos]

The battery looks small that it will drain fast because of the a5 chip.

[sineplex]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

back in August and was at the time claimed to be for the "iPad mini".

Those claims led to confusion over whether the iPad mini's headphone jack would be located at the bottom as on the iPhone 5 and the iPod touch or on the top as in the full-size iPad and as seen in mockups and cases reportedly based on leaked iPad mini design specs. With the appearance of this part in the iPod touch, the discrepancy has now been resolved and signs are pointing to the iPad mini's headphone jack being along the top edge of the device.

What iPad mini ?

Anyway I'm not buying an iPad mini if it has the same specs as the ipod touch. I don't want a gimped device. I want it just like the iPhone 5 but 7.85"

[iSayuSay]

Originally Posted by sineplex

What iPad mini ?

Anyway I'm not buying an iPad mini if it has the same specs as the ipod touch. I don't want a gimped device. I want it just like the iPhone 5 but 7.85"

If it exists, iPad Mini is just like the iPod Touch for the iPhone. It would be gimped. Why wouldn't it?

No matter what, iPhone and iPad will always be the main course .. Everything else is dessert and Mac is beverage nowadays

[turtlez]

Originally Posted by ezdz

My iphone battery is pretty much dead after 2.5 years. My macbook pro battery lasted about the same amount of time. Replacing batteries is an issue, at least for some of us.

ah that sucks sorry to hear. I was basing my opinions on my own experience and a few other friends.

[sineplex]

Originally Posted by iSayuSay

If it exists, iPad Mini is just like the iPod Touch for the iPhone. It would be gimped. Why wouldn't it?

No matter what, iPhone and iPad will always be the main course .. Everything else is dessert and Mac is beverage nowadays

what if the take up of the 7.85" ipad is more than the 9" iPad?
You cannot say "no matter what" and mean it.

[opeepingtomo]

Really wish they would start making their phones in more colors like they do with some of their other products.

[iLLUMI]

I just read a comment on a site called amog.com stating: Furthermore, iFixit discovered that the music player’s 4-inch Retina Display is inferior compared to iPhone 5’s screen.
However I couldnt see anything on the ifixit site that stated this.
How could the 2 screens be different if they're both Retina displays?
I guess I'll have to go to Apple Store and compare the 2 for myself.


Edit:
Just found the answer to this in another thread: So iPod touch 5 has landed - a few questions to early adopters