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iFixit Tears Down the New Seventh-Generation iPod Nano

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Apr 12, 2001
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The teardown experts at iFixit have taken apart the new Seventh-Generation iPod Nano, noting how much work Apple's engineers put into making the device as thin as possible. The teardown notes that the battery has a rating of 0.8Wh, more than twice the rating of the prior generation Nano.

ipodnanoteardown.jpg
The battery, Lightning connector and volume controls are all soldered directly to the logic board. The button cable and headphone jack are attached as well. The site does note that the LCD and digitizer glass are not fused together, allowing replacement of either component individually.

iFixit found components from Apple, Broadcom (Bluetooth + FM Radio), NXP Semiconductors, Toshiba (NAND flash), and Texas Instruments (touchscreen controller) inside the Nano.

nanologicboard.jpg
Overall, iFixit found the new iPod nano to be fairly difficult to repair as many components are soldered directly to the logic board. The battery appears to be particularly difficult to replace. The revelation is not a surprise, as Apple does not intend its mobile products to be user-serviceable and the company's efforts to push the limits of design and size reduction have led it to sacrifice accessibility.

iFixit has also taken apart the Fifth-Generation iPod Touch, as well as the iPhone 5.

Article Link: iFixit Tears Down the New Seventh-Generation iPod Nano
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/10/16/ifixit-tears-down-the-new-seventh-generation-ipod-nano/
Every time Apple updates the nano, I get the feeling that they don't know where they want to go with it.

At first it was a smaller iPod classic, resulting in the 5th nano, which was the best of the product we've seen so far IMO.

Then it became a bigger iPod shuffle, and many of the features in the 5th gen were removed, but people became excited about the possibility of smart watches.

Now it's a smaller iPod touch with none of the things that make the touch great(App Store, camera, web browsing, wifi)?

It just seems that Apple is keeping the nano around simply for the legacy of it.

It also seems that those who just want a music player that's light and pocket/armband friendly are still best served by the 5th generation Nano.
 
In ten years when the collective components are the size of a postage stamp will anyone still care if it's user-servicable?
 
The iPod Nano and the retina MacBook Pro can be repaired and recycled by Apple. iFixit is throwing tantrums because they can't fix them? iFixit needs to get over itself.
 
How is TI supplying parts for the new Nano when they're still producing and selling these:

312px-TI-84_Plus_Silver_Edition.JPG


:eek:
 
I was SURE they would need a diamond saw to get it open, only to discover a mystery: there is nothing inside at all.

But I called it wrong. It’s packed with chips and batteries.
 
appleguy123 said:
Every time Apple updates the nano, I get the feeling that they don't know where they want to go with it.

At first it was a smaller iPod classic, resulting in the 5th nano, which was the best of the product we've seen so far IMO.

Then it became a bigger iPod shuffle, and many of the features in the 5th gen were removed, but people became excited about the possibility of smart watches.

Now it's a smaller iPod touch with none of the things that make the touch great(App Store, camera, web browsing, wifi)?

It just seems that Apple is keeping the nano around simply for the legacy of it.

It also seems that those who just want a music player that's light and pocket/armband friendly are still best served by the 5th generation Nano.
Click to expand...

I think this is the best nano.
To my mind, it should be focused on being the best disconnected music player and it is.

The 5th gen was great, but no bluetooth. And things have changed. Due to the rise of smartphones, a camera doesn't make that much sense.
The 6th gen was good but also no bluetooth and the screen was too small.

They need to add an option for more capacity though.

Wi-fi -- and all the connectivity that implies -- would be great. But once you add wi-fi, iCloud support, an itunes store app, support for 3rd-party apps so that people can, e.g., connect to their favorite streaming service, plus the ram, processor, screen space and capacity to support those apps plus the battery to run it all... well, then you have an iPod Touch. So they have that covered.
 
maxira said:
THE RETINA MACBOOK PRO WAS ‘VERIFIED’ EPEAT GOLD, BUT IT’S NOT GREEN
http://ifixit.org/3525/the-retina-macbook-pro-was-verified-epeat-gold-but-its-not-green/
Click to expand...

Read the article. It's long on assertions, and short on supporting evidence.

----------
Junipr said:
How is TI supplying parts for the new Nano when they're still producing and selling these:

Image

:eek:
Click to expand...

The real question is how do they get away with charging as much as they do ($100-$170 depending on the store) for those given the technology inside?
 
appleguy123 said:
Every time Apple updates the nano, I get the feeling that they don't know where they want to go with it.
Click to expand...
QFT. If you look at most other Apple products they started out searching for an identity, and once they found themselves they remained basically the same, with minor fine tuning for each new iteration. The iMac, the iPhone, the keyboard etc. The nano is an exception that keeps changing wildly, a lost soul.

ValSalva said:
The iPod Nano and the retina MacBook Pro can be repaired and recycled by Apple. iFixit is throwing tantrums because they can't fix them? iFixit needs to get over itself.
Click to expand...
i agree that it's just dumb to talk about iPod nano serviceability. But the Retina MBP should come with a giant warning label alerting you to the fact that it contains proprietary RAM and SSD that the user can't upgrade. The MBA is one thing, it's a niche product for people with a tech anorexia fetish, but the MBP is a "normal" prosumer laptop that is expected to have traditional, upgradeable storage and memory. The whole front of the box should be a warning label. "Nasty customer-hating evil inside. It hates you, and your children, and your pets, and wants you all to suffer otherworldly pain." or something.
 
iSee said:
I think this is the best nano.
To my mind, it should be focused on being the best disconnected music player and it is.

The 5th gen was great, but no bluetooth. And things have changed. Due to the rise of smartphones, a camera doesn't make that much sense.
The 6th gen was good but also no bluetooth and the screen was too small.

They need to add an option for more capacity though.

Wi-fi -- and all the connectivity that implies -- would be great. But once you add wi-fi, iCloud support, an itunes store app, support for 3rd-party apps so that people can, e.g., connect to their favorite streaming service, plus the ram, processor, screen space and capacity to support those apps plus the battery to run it all... well, then you have an iPod Touch. So they have that covered.
Click to expand...

Bluetooth is a good feature, I concede that, but as far as form goes, touch screen isn't the best for a dedicated media player. The click wheel always for eyes free use and less spurious input. The form factor was also great and so was the radio functionality. It sufficiently differentiated itself from the other iPods with those features. I see no compelling reason to buy the iPod nano over the iPod touch, and given the price hike, I think that that is exactly what Apple intended.
 
I want to know where iFixit is getting the money to buy all these devices and take them apart. Surely the sales of spudgers isn't that good. :D
 
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