iFixit Tears Down iPad Air 2, Confirms Smaller Battery, A8X Chip, and 2GB RAM

Will0827 said:

The A8X is able to get a score near the base 2014 macbook air, granted the MBA is dual core but it does have 4GB of ram. Imagine if apple were to use a quad core A8X and 4GB of ram in the ipad air.

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Imagine if they were to put your hypothetical processor and RAM in a Macbook Air running full OS X Yosemite.


It'd be much more powerful than the maxed 2011 MBA in my sig! The A8X as it is now is on par with my MBA...

If the did it, the MBA immediately becomes $200 cheaper AND Apple actually increases their margin on the product simultaneously...

It's a shame Apple is so myopic and naive

Apple never originally implemented NFC because Steve Jobs it was a one trick pony, they didn't feel that tapping two devices together to initiate a handshake to exchange data was worth the investment to put it in their phones and tablets.

So, Apple then invested in iBeacon and location-centric networking and thought very well of themselves for creating iDevices that simply showed localized information or setup ad-hoc data exchanges just by being near an iBeacon puck in the Apple store.

However, iBeacon was never going to be used by the banking industry because having a financial transaction occur just because you are standing in the vicinity of some iBeacon receiver will expose the device to security issues. NFC works in a much closer range ( < .2 meters ) and while not 100% secure in that limited range, is way more secure than a 70 - 250 meter radius of iBeacon.

Apple had to concede to using NFC to support Apple Pay.

Now that it is confirmed that Apple didn't put NFC into the new iPads Apple is reaffirming that NFC (in their eyes) is a one trick pony only using it for Apple Pay. I mean can iPhone 6 even pair with an NFC device or did Apple cripple that functionality?

Its a shame because a lot of new headsets and speakers and other household electronics are starting to support NFC to pair more quickly and easily as opposed to having to place your device into Bluetooth discovery mode and entering a security code. There is no reason why the iPad couldn't have NFC and simply not support Apple Pay instead of crippling functionality in them with use with other NFC enabled devices. I mean how much is an NFC chip? $0.50 per unit? Not a hell of a lot extra for a $500+ iPad especially since NFC is found in way cheaper Android tablets.

Steve Jobs may have been able to identify features customers want before they want it, but Apple has a history of IGNORING common sense for features wanted by their customers out of arrogance, naivety, or simply a limited ability extrapolate a technology's current feature set with what customers might want in the near future.

I guess we will not see NFC in iPad until Apple implemented NFC in Beats headsets and speakers, or rather, until Apple catches up with the rest of their competition on what NFC is capable of.

anomie said:

"You can’t ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” [Steve Jobs]

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Savvy words...

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RockSpider said:

Wasn't it Steve Jobs who said, You're holding it wrong.

Wasn't it Steve Jobs who said 3.5" is the perfect size.

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He was right about the first sentence, as several test on others devices showed, and was right about the second as well, in 2007....

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Jsameds said:

^This.

Weight loss on tablets is so much more important than thinness. If the battery was any bigger on the Air 2 it would have gained weight which would have put me off purchasing. Remember the 3rd gen weight fiasco?

Thinner, lighter, faster, TouchID, more RAM, faster Wi-Fi, Baromoter and just generally better all round and with 11 hours battery life, sorry but that's more than fine in my books.

This whole battery thing is a minor disadvantage.

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Exactly this

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x-evil-x said:

You don't think samsung does the same thing as apple? They don't need to put out something that the competitor doesn't have(even though they have done that) until they need to. Their profits aren't at risk(i don't see them going down as a company anytime soon) so why release something they don't need to yet...?
At least thats how i see it.

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Samsung ALWAYS TRY to do the same thing as Apple!
Most of the time they just aren't good enough

MyopicPaideia said:

Imagine if they were to put your hypothetical processor and RAM in a Macbook Air running full OS X Yosemite.


It'd be much more powerful than the maxed 2011 MBA in my sig! The A8X as it is now is on par with my MBA...

If the did it, the MBA immediately becomes $200 cheaper AND Apple actually increases their margin on the product simultaneously...

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You speak truths sir. In some alternative universe this macbook air exist.

rsocal said:

They can't complain about Ram and iPhone 6 Plus "Bendgate" is over!

They're running out of things to complain about, so Apple not improving battery time is the next "Gate" for idiots!

I've always felt iPad's and, especially my iPad Air have had great battery life!

I love that Apple has been able to lighten and thin iPad/iPhone's! Makes them that much more comfortable and easy to carry!

Being able to thin and lighten, keeping battery life great, so much more software efficiency! This is what forces better tech in battery's etc. It forces competition and the constant pursuit of perfection!

If Apple listened to some of the whiners on MR, we would have lots of Ram, big battery's and thick heavy iPads/iPhones. I read a post yesterday, saying the iPad Air 2 is "2010 tech". Really?

This is the mentality that some bring to MR, this is because Apple has added Ram, 3 cores, A8X ballistic processor, fingerprint sensor, 55% faster multi core performance and the fastest tablet by a considerable margin. But battery is close to iPad Air, that brings us back to 2010? Really?:confused

Get in the game people!

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Believe me, this forum is full of haters. They signed in, toss a couple of Apple products in their signature, and then starts complaining on every single thread.
The target? Provoke real Apple customers and bash Apple...

MyopicPaideia said:

Do you have a link to one of these cases? I'm definitely interested in how they do that!

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I was actually referring to my experience with the iPhone. Mophie has a case that is both a battery and extra storage. Look at iBattz and Mophie sites.

my my my... the masses here are very fickle!

Apple is masterful at their R&D approach because they are annually iterative!



Revolution , evolve , evolve then repeat... If they kept doing complete redesigns every year you're going to lose reliability and apple loses productivity and scale.

Take what's great about the ipad air, add in some elements of iP5S, and add horsepower to the mix and you've got a great product. Yes maybe the ipad Air group doesn't require the upgrade but it's leveraging the best of what's available in the platform.

With the next release you'll get a bump in batter life, A9X soc, maybe a few color choices, and maybe different corners but it will be soup to nuts reliable/finished/and great product.

RockSpider said:

Customers are always wrong, just like they hold everything wrong.

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Nobody was complaining about Black and White TVs either.

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Yeah they were:

"Too expensive"
"Don't need it"
"Idiot box"
"Fire hazard"
"Damn thing stopped working again" kicks it

The last one was probably the last to change (when we all switched from CRT).

dilbert99 said:

I welcome any weight savings

Air 2: 437g
Air: 469g
4gen: 652g
3gen: 650g
2gen: 601g
1gen: 680g

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MacBook Air, 2008: 1360 g
My old laptop, 2004: 2948 g
One of my textbooks, 2013: 3538 g
Steve Jobs, 2011: 44452 g
Steve Jobs, 2008: 67131 g

We've really come a long way.

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rsocal said:

If your forgetful about charging battery, what's to say you won't forget after 2 days?

Some customers ask why we close our business at 5:00pm, I tell them "if I was open until 7:00pm you would ask the same question", "why do you close at 7:00pm". My point is, these same customers who say that can't get there by 5:00pm, always seem to get there before 5:00pm, they figure it out!

If you are worried about forgetting to charge your battery, that is your own negligence, and the battery with the Air 2, is not that diminished to cause you your example scenario to be any different.

From what I'm reading a lot of the same people that complained about Ram have moved to battery! Apple responded to what I understand, was the biggest complaint, Ram. Now we got 2GB of Ram, extra core, 55% faster multi core performance, faster overall, better screen and yes thinner!

I like the move to thinner and lighter, that's progress, and in turn forces others to keep moving forward, as with battery tech etc., and well the competition!


What people aren't looking at (IMO), is how Apple continue's to make products thinner, lighter, faster and keep battery performance close to the same.

I've always carried a backup battery for my iPads & iPhone's there was a possibility I would not have time to charge. Most of the time it's in my truck or backpack when traveling. Funny thing is, I've never used it for myself, only friends and family. It's always the same ones that use my external battery, never keeping their **** charged.

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Why do people keep thinking I have a problem with the Air's battery life?

I just wanna know when the battery will be not as big...

RockSpider said:

Wasn't it Steve Jobs who said, You're holding it wrong.

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No it wasn't. Steve Jobs never said it. He said "avoid holding it that way" which is almost identical to what other phone manuals state. A journalist wrote "you're holding it wrong" and everyone parroted that phrase, making it a meme.

RockSpider said:

Wasn't it Steve Jobs who said 3.5" is the perfect size.

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No Steve Jobs didn't say it. He just accused of Android phones being too large.

Jobs said many things that completely contradicted what he did, such as "It turns out people want keyboard." "We look at the tablet, and we think it is going to fail" But those two things he didn't say. People invented the meme without even looking at what was said.

x-evil-x said:

Apple can make these lighter. The reason that they don't make a big job is so they can add something next year. The tech is already there they just don't want to put it all out so they can add it the following year. I'm sure most companies have a timeline of the technology they have ready but won't release it because of profit.

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Because of profit... That's part of a technology being ready or not, no? I mean that would be so obvious it wouldn't even be worth mentioning. I mean hey Apple could give iPads away free but they only charge money because of profit.

atlatnesiti said:

"Bending" remarks are now little bit long in the tooth.
Good try, but about 3 weeks too late.
Don't you have anything original, constructive and informative to say?!

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I was being facetious fanboy! Stop being so touchy.

fertilized-egg said:

No it wasn't. Steve Jobs never said it. He said "avoid holding it that way" which is almost identical to what other phone manuals state. A journalist wrote "you're holding it wrong" and everyone parroted that phrase, making it a meme.



No Steve Jobs didn't say it. He just accused of Android phones being too large.

Jobs said many things that completely contradicted what he did, such as "It turns out people want keyboard." "We look at the tablet, and we think it is going to fail" But those two things he didn't say. People invented the meme without even looking at what was said.

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What about "Think Different" Apple lovers all think the same, the only thing they do different is pick Gold or Space Gray.

Me, I think different, I build my own PCs, I've bought Android tablets, I've bought 4 iPads, I've bought a Core i7 Mini Mac(cute little baby) and an Apple TV, my current phone is a HTC M8.
And people accuse me of not being able to afford Apple products, go figure, I nearly bought the iPad Air 3 yesterday, didn't like it.
Oh, I even bought the 1st Android all in one, hated it.

raybo said:

Most people don't use any device for more than a few hours a day. Apple is not creating products for people who spend 11 hours in front of a tablet without finding a power outlet or PC for power.... Why is this even a discussion? The thinness and lightness of the device are paramount.....

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Well said.

MentalFloss said:

I don't see the logic. Does the fact that the iPad has a 10 inch screen also imply that we will see an iPhone 7 Plus Plus with a 10 inch screen?

Check out the teardown. The additional RAM chip takes up space. Quite a lot of space, actually. Not too much for a tablet, but too much for a phone, so I strongly doubt that Apple will use this setup also in an iPhone. If they put 2GB into the next iPhone, then they will use one single chip. So whatever they are doing in the iPad has no impact on the iPhone. The iPhone will get 2GB when Apple has a single chip RAM solution that hits the right price point and offers the right performance.

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It actually beats the lower-end 2011 MBAs in both single and multi core performance.


Well, the memory has no impact on the benchmark result.

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I'm not a spec whore -- if it works, it works -- but here I'm sticking with my hunch. RAM on the iPhone was never going to up until they upped it in the iPad first. I also expect some features like multi-user will come to iPad and then to iPhone. Clobber me with some claimchower next year if I'm wrong.

ron7624 said:

Well said.

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Wow, if everybody thought like you two, we'd all be still pounding away on a wooden Mac. Thank God there are intelligent people with foresight on the planet.

RockSpider said:

Wow, if everybody thought like you two, we'd all be still pounding away on a wooden Mac. Thank God there are intelligent people with foresight on the planet.

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Read the quote, I was agreeing with thinner and lighter
"... Why is this even a discussion? The thinness and lightness of the device are paramount....."

fertilized-egg said:

No it wasn't. Steve Jobs never said it. He said "avoid holding it that way" which is almost identical to what other phone manuals state. A journalist wrote "you're holding it wrong" and everyone parroted that phrase, making it a meme.



No Steve Jobs didn't say it. He just accused of Android phones being too large.

Jobs said many things that completely contradicted what he did, such as "It turns out people want keyboard." "We look at the tablet, and we think it is going to fail" But those two things he didn't say. People invented the meme without even looking at what was said.

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Absolutely. Steve was a genius no doubt (and was often misquoted), but as Tim Cook and everyone else close to him will say, he changed his opinions often, and oftentimes completely contrarian to his original view.

3.5 inches was the ideal size in 2007, and in 2012, he saw 4" as the ideal size. Not to mention he clearly signed off on the iPad Mini, which also contradicted his "small tablets" statement.

Point is, NFC is here to stay regardless to what he thought, and whether or not it will succeed remains to be seen, but hopefully, for the sake of the digital future, it will work out just fine despite these initial hiccups.

Max(IT) said:

Believe me, this forum is full of haters. They signed in, toss a couple of Apple products in their signature, and then starts complaining on every single thread.
The target? Provoke real Apple customers and bash Apple...

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I have to partially agree.

But the forum is also full of people disappointed by and disillusioned with Apple, because they feel that the products they provided before were superior in some way. This is me.

I've been increasingly out of sync with Apple, particularly around the time of Steve Job's death. Perhaps it is coincidence, but I feel that the shift Apple has taken in direction has been radical; I went from being really impressed with almost every product they released to absolutely detesting what they are doing (iMac 5K excluded, if you can bypass installing Yosemite on it). It's similar to being married and happy for years and then the wife/husband starts getting interested in younger men/women.

Improving a product should not equal to just making it thinner. That is nice, no doubt, but there's a point where we can see missed opportunities to actually improve something because thinness was the target feature. When combined, all these little decisions can snowball into losing a customer.

All that said, the iPad is still an outstanding product. Apple doesn't do junk. But now, more than ever, I believe that this is a matter of taste. And Steve is not there to impart his, so the polarizing decisions are more apparent than ever before.

Indeed, I see a time rapidly approaching where Apple users like me abandon forums such as this one because we just don't like Apple anymore and there's no need to rain on others' parade.

Thus, Apple and I are headed towards irreconcilable differences. A divorce is always sad, angry, and painful. For the time being, we're merely separated, but the other fish in the sea are starting to look mighty attractive.

MyopicPaideia said:

You're talking about the Secure Enclave in the the M7 and M8 co-processors. This is where TouchID fingerprint data is stored. Secure Enclave is a marketing term coined by Apple to name the repository on the Mx co-processor.

The NFC module is where the secure element used for processing NFC payments is made and is utilised by Apple to store the static D.A.N. for each card set up under Apple Pay and the place where the one-time use transaction token is created and used to verify and authenticate an Apple Pay transaction.

Two different and completely separate things.

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Gotcha. Makes sense.

Parasprite said:

Steve Jobs, 2011: 44452 g
Steve Jobs, 2008: 67131 g

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Tha's a little mean. The guy did have cancer.

MyopicPaideia said:

Imagine if they were to put your hypothetical processor and RAM in a Macbook Air running full OS X Yosemite.


It'd be much more powerful than the maxed 2011 MBA in my sig! The A8X as it is now is on par with my MBA...

If the did it, the MBA immediately becomes $200 cheaper AND Apple actually increases their margin on the product simultaneously...

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AND....Parallels /VMware would no longer work

Yebubbleman said:

Gotcha. Makes sense.

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(Secure enclave is on the A7 and A8 chip, not the M7 and M8 coprocessor. That would be odd to put the Touch ID security piece on the motion coprocessor. It's on the main system on a chip though).

Traverse said:

Tha's a little mean. The guy did have cancer.

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While I was writing it I knew that I had done the wrong thing.