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

[Watabou]

The battery life sounds like a problem but I think Apple's approach to it helps them in the long run.

I assume they think of it this way:

Can we make it thinner and have the same battery life? DO IT!
Can we make it thinner and live with the battery life being slightly worse? Do it.
Can we make it thinner and have the battery life be significantly worse? Don't do it.
Can we make it thicker with better battery life? Don't do it.

I think this is a valid approach, I mean look at the iPhone, they have consistently made the battery life slightly longer while making the device thinner. By making it thinner, they can improve on the internal parts like the CPU's efficiency and use smaller parts to make room. I don't think they will ever make a device thicker for better battery life because this means they can be lazy with the internal parts, which I don't think is the Apple way.

Even if the battery life is the same, they should have improved it instead of making it thinner for the hell of it. There's no purpose in making it thinner. It accomplishes absolutely nothing.

I don't think that's true at all. For one, it's making the feel of it, when you hold it, better. For second, as I said above, it gives them an incentive to keep improving the software and internal parts.

 

[Rogifan]

I got 16 hours out of my Air 1, if I get 10-12 out of this one I'm a happy camper.

How is that possible considering the Air is thinner than previous iPads? The meme here is thinner = worse battery life.

 

[ipadlvr]

My guess would be the practicality.

NFC has a limited range, and I don't know about where you live but here in the uk , the vast majority of shops have the 'card machine' in a place that would make it difficult to align the iPad's NFC onto it.

Plus how many people really go walking around town with their iPad in their hands?

None because...

Ready?

iPads have NO NFC ANTENNA!!

 

[rsocal]

Hmm...I just looked at Engadget's review of the iPad 2 and their battery test result was 10 hours 23 minutes. Cnet's review was 7 hours 41 minutes continuous video playback. If your iPad 2 gets a week's worth of battery life with constant use on one charge you are the exception not the norm. Apple has never claimed iPads get a weeks worth of usage on one charge. Their claim is 10 hours of battery life which is what the Air 2 gets.

He never got a "week" of use with constant use from an iPad of any kind, or maybe he's referring to standby time as constant use???

I know, he forgot to unplug it from the charger......

 

[avanpelt]

Interesting that it has the same NFC chip that's included in the 6/6+. Is that just because the "Secure Element" is built into the NFC chip?

 

[CFreymarc]

Nice review. At least this time the Batman costume hides how much weight she has gained in the last few years.

 

[ipadlvr]

Why do you keep stirring it everywhere? What is the point? Do you really have to nitpick details when we already know for multiple sources that the thing has 2GB? Or you think that we are all delusional and until you have HARD evidence in your hands that tells you that the part number means this or that then you will not leave it alone?
Just move on, please! I've already seen some of your posts elsewhere which had aggressive tone in them (or provoking if you want a milder word) so just leave it please. You had your fun and now its time to move on.
Thank you

Multiple sources may say that it is 2GB

My point is saying this "teardown reveals 2GB of RAM" IS NOT ACCURATE.

This teardown gives you an unsearchable part number and the fact that there are 2.

iFixit themselves didn't even say (it appears to be 2 1GB modules) or anything of the sort, which they usually do. Since the part can't be searched they said nothing about capacity.

So this teardown reveals nothing about the actual amount of RAM.

 

[AllergyDoc]

How is that possible considering the Air is thinner than previous iPads? The meme here is thinner = worse battery life.

10-12 is worse than 16.

 

[uwdude]

There's always going to be people who would rather have a big thick tablet with 20 hours of battery instead of thinner and easier to hold. But sorry that's not Apple's way. Go put a Mophie juice case on it or something if you want unbelievable battery and thickness.

 

[brendu]

The iPad has no NFC! PEOPLE come on..

It has no NFC Antenna . How is it going to do NFC?

You didn't read the article, did you?

 

[AllergyDoc]

No way, the only way you'd get that, is if you're just playing music with the screen off, you're dreaming.

Nope. Wide awake. Browsing (mostly MacRumors), crosswords, a lot of reading, etc. No heavy games. Screen brightness typically about 25% but rarely over 50%.

 

[avanpelt]

You didn't read the article did you?

Actually, the article says, "The tablet also has 16GB of flash memory from SK Hynix and the same NXP 65V10 NFC module that was used in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but it does not appear to have an NFC antenna."

 

[RestUnknown]

Then switch to something else instead of whinning! I'll sell you my iPad Air with bigger battery and less specs, if you'd like???

I'll take a light weight ballistic speed (A8X 2GB Ram & 3 Cores), smaller battery (with almost same life), and better screen, over a 1hr difference in battery life, all day long!

Where is my delivery???

I don't have an iPad and I don't need one. This is just another example of the inevitable downfall of Apple.

Apple has always stood for innovation and being better then the rest, this lately has not been true at all. Johnny Ive is not a great designer, and the rest of the highest Apple staff are simply not what you should expect from Apple.

There are always fan boys and people who are against it. But let me be clear, like I said I have a Macbook Pro and will probably buy another one if this one breaks. I'm not a fan boy, I just buy what is best for me at a given time => iPhone is not that, iPad is not that, Watch will not be that, iMac is not that, Macbook will perhaps be that. Graphs around the world show the ever more declining. And listen I don't want this to happen, I love my Macbook and want to buy another one if it's the best at that time, but Apple is too hyped and the bubble will pop.

 

[ipadlvr]

Interesting that it has the same NFC chip that's included in the 6/6+. Is that just because the "Secure Element" is built into the NFC chip?

Again, because their devices share a lot of the same parts.

The iPad can't do NFC. It will never be able to, unless they build a new iPad with NFC. This iPad Air 2 is not capable, and will never be capable of NFC.

This is my point of these posts by macrumors and other internet websites. Just like the RAM, they're confusing you with NFC.

 

[ipadlvr]

You didn't read the article, did you?

I'm not talking about the article. I'm replying to people here. maybe you should say that to other people here.

----------

Actually, the article says, "The tablet also has 16GB of flash memory from SK Hynix and the same NXP 65V10 NFC module that was used in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but it does not appear to have an NFC antenna."

Yet the posters here keep asking why it can't do NFC.

But you guys come after me.

Haha

 

[awests]

Again, because their devices share a lot of the same parts.

The iPad can't do NFC. It will never be able to, unless they build a new iPad with NFC. This iPad Air 2 is not capable, and will never be capable of NFC.

This is my point of these posts by macrumors and other internet websites. Just like the RAM, they're confusing you with NFC.

Maybe apple is planning on making an accessory with a NFC antenna and the chip is onboard...

 

[BruiserB]

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

Does the NFC chip contain the secure element for storing the tokenized card info? Can't remember if it was there or in the A8. I was just thinking perhaps the NFC chip is needed for the in app version of ApplePay as well?

I doubt Apple would include extra parts for the heck of it. And no antenna means they can't really use it for future wireless transmission either.

I have stock in the NFC chip maker though! So this is great news!

 

[Rogifan]

10-12 is worse than 16.

No, what I meant was 16 with the Air was significantly more than any previous iPad, previous iPads that were all thicker than the Air. If thinner means worse battery life how did the a Air get do better than the iPad 1/2/3/4.

 

[avanpelt]

Again, because their devices share a lot of the same parts.

The iPad can't do NFC. It will never be able to, unless they build a new iPad with NFC. This iPad Air 2 is not capable, and will never be capable of NFC.

This is my point of these posts by macrumors and other internet websites. Just like the RAM, they're confusing you with NFC.

Well, since the iPad is capable of using Apple Pay in apps that support Apple Pay, that tells me that the payment information has to be stored somewhere in the hardware just like on the iPhone 6/6+. That "somewhere" on the iPad is likely the Secure Element. I read somewhere, I thought, that the Secure Element was part of an NFC chip.

 

[brendu]

Actually, the article says, "The tablet also has 16GB of flash memory from SK Hynix and the same NXP 65V10 NFC module that was used in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but it does not appear to have an NFC antenna."

If the chip is there, it is for something. No antenna explains why it can't be used for apple pay terminal sales but it clearly exists for a reason and I am eager to learn why.

 

[atlatnesiti]

Right. You assume, but you didn't get that informati from this teardown. All we have is a part number and 2 chips. Then we can deduce what this means.

This post seems to say that ifixit confirmed it was 2GB which isn't true.

Like many other Australians I am using one since yesterday and I can confirm that my iPad Air 2 has 2GB of Ram.
There, I've fixed it fo you....

 

[Markiie]

Battery life hasn't decreased since the iPad 1 in 2010.

I can post a video of Steve Jobs on stage saying even though the iPad 2 is thinner than the first iPad, it still gives you the same "legendary 10 hour battery life".

Same thing they're saying now.

They made it thinner and lighter and they've kept the same battery life since 2010.

My problem with that is exactly that.....SAME battery life as in 2010.

why aren't we at 12 or 14 hours by now?

 

[brendu]

Well, since the iPad is capable of using Apple Pay in apps that support Apple Pay, that tells me that the payment information has to be stored somewhere in the hardware just like on the iPhone 6/6+. That "somewhere" on the iPad is likely the Secure Element. I read somewhere, I thought, that the Secure Element was part of an NFC chip.

Interesting. Good thought.

 

[avanpelt]

Does the NFC chip contain the secure element for storing the tokenized card info? Can't remember if it was there or in the A8. I was just thinking perhaps the NFC chip is needed for the in app version of ApplePay as well?

I think you are correct based on what I recall reading in the past. NFC chip contains the "Secure Element" -- which is where the payment tokens are stored. The iPad has to have some sort of "Secure Element" because it is capable of in-app Apple Pay.

 

[goobot]

I get the thinness obsession for the iPhone because most people put it in a case so thinner really does help especially with the newer bigger phones.

For the iPad im not sure. My iPad 2 is thin enough to enjoy. I think more than thinness they wanted to get it lighter. Making it lighter will help when holding it for long periods. I'm split on the obsession with thinness for the iPad. I wonder how far it will go before they just stop making it thinner. They have got to be getting close to the limit.

The limit is when it's paper thin.