Hasta La Gadget!

There’s a good chance ripping apart Sony’s Alpha A99 isn’t on the to-do list of those who own the freshly released $2,800 camera — even if they are curious about the hardware’s guts. Luckily for such inquiring minds, Sony’s taken matters into its own hands and torn the DSLR apart. While it’s not your conventional play-by-play video teardown, Hirai and Co. came prepared with the camera already split into layers that showcase its major parts such as its magnesium alloy body, 35mm full-frame sensor and main circuit board. For the grand tour of the A99’s innards, hit the jump to catch the footage.

Continue reading Sony’s Alpha A99 gets torn apart, exposes its 35mm full-frame sensor (video)

Filed under: Cameras, Sony

Sony’s Alpha A99 gets torn apart, exposes its 35mm full-frame sensor (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 03:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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They gang over at iFixit has been very busy of late tearing apart new gadgets. Recently, they tore apart a new iPad mini and a Microsoft Surface tablet to see what’s on the inside. The latest device to get the teardown treatment is the newest iPad 4 that debuted with the iPad mini.

As expected, the tablet has a dual-core A6X processor with a quad-core GPU. It uses a 9.7-inch LCD with a resolution of 2048 x 1536. It comes with 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB of storage and has a five-megapixel rear camera. One major difference between the latest generation of the iPad in the iPad 3 from seven months ago is the smaller Lightning connector on the new tablet.

The teardown also confirms that LG is manufacturing the display for the latest generation iPad, at least in the one torn down here. Apple is known to use multiple display providers to meet demand. The battery is the same unit in the new iPad as it was in the previous version. Overall, iFixit says the new iPad 4 isn’t any more repairable than the previous model, receiving only 2 out of 10 score – with 10 being the easiest to repair.

Apple’s fourth-gen iPad may have been a bit-player alongside the iPad mini at the launch event last week, but the 9.7-inch tablet still gets its time under the screwdriver. The tricksy teardown merchants at iFixit have wasted no time in putting the iOS slate in its place: that is, in separate pieces splayed across the table. Unsurprisingly, the team there don’t rate it highly for DIY repairability; more unexpected, though, is news that Apple didn’t really make the most of the changes it implemented.

Like the mini and the iPhone 5, Apple used its new Lightning connector rather than the older, larger 30-pin Dock Connector. However, while that’s a move to shave away at bulk in the smaller devices, in the iPad 4 with Retina display there’s not been any move to take advantage of the space freed up: iFixit suggests that Apple could’ve taken the opportunity to slot in larger speakers, for instance, and improve sound quality.

Unfortunately, Apple’s trend of making the iPad as tricky to dismantle as possible continues apace, with the teardown company rating the newest model 2 out of 10 for repair potential. Masses of adhesive – whether glue, tape, or sticky foam – keeping components in place; cover-glass that’s stuck to the chassis; and a battery that’s prone to being pierced and yet requires some serious levering in order to remove all get name-checked.

For most users, mind, none of these will be significant problems: most iPads likely don’t get opened up at all, though it does mean replacing a broken display or misbehaving connector is likely a job for the Genius Bar rather than something owners can attempt at home. As for what the iPad 4 can do when it’s in one piece, check out our full review for all the details.

iPad 4 teardown: More of the same (and a missed opportunity) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple’s iPad mini got the teardown treatment this morning, one day ahead of its official launch in stores. The diminutive tablet gave up its secrets to iFixit’s expert disassembly staff, revealing its complex inner workings to the camera. A lot of the parts are familiar, coming from either the iPhone 5 or MacBook Air, and Samsung makes a somewhat surprising appearance as an LCD panel supplier, something some early reports suggested Samsung would not be involved in supplying this component for this device.

Samsung is likely one of many display component suppliers Apple is using, but it suggests reports of the waning relationship between the two companies is at least exaggerated. There are few other surprises here, but we get a close-up look at the stereo speakers (Apple had confirmed already that these were present, despite Amazon’s suggestion they were left out), which is actually one area where the iPad mini even beats the Retina-sporting iPad (which has mono audio). iFixit also notes that the iPad mini’s battery is labeled in such a way that it isn’t exactly clear what kind of specs it boasts, but it definitely offers 4400mAh, and comes in at 50 percent less capacity than even the iPad 2. Still, early reviews suggest it lasts at least as long as both the iPad 2 and Retina iPad in actual use.

iFixit hasn’t weighed in on final repairability as of yet, but so far things aren’t looking good on that scale – The mini’s lightning port is soldered to the logic board, for instance, which isn’t the case on the iPad 3, which itself has a repairability score of 2 out of 10. iFixit’s teardown is still in progress, but we’ll update with its full repairability score when the process is complete, or you can follow along.

Update: So the final tally is 2 out of 10 for repairability, same as the full-sized iPad, since iFixit says it has some advantages over the iPad (battery not soldered to the logic board) but also some additional failings (hidden screws, soldered Lightning connector).

Interested in seeing all the adorable little parts inside Apple’s smallest iPad yet? iFixit’s already got its hands on one and has a currently-in-progress teardown going on, should that be your kinda thing. And what’s the verdict? Well, the teardown is still happening, but as of right now, there are some good signs. For one, the LCD and front glass are separate components, making replacement of individual components a possibility (and making a repair less expensive). And that LCD is once again of the Samsung variety, confirming Apple’s continued relationship with its legal adversary. As iFixit points out, Apple “often relies on multiple supplies for a single component,” so it’s possible that your teardown of another Mini will yield a different LCD manufacturer. More tidbits found inside thus far: confirmation of stereo speakers (a big change from the regular iPad’s mono setup). The teardown points out that the Mini’s Lightning charging port (significantly smaller than the previous 30-pin port) is likely what’s making space for that extra speaker. As for a final repairability rating, iFixit’s giving the iPad Mini a 2 out of 10 (not so easy to repair) based on a several factors: while the LCD/glass isn’t fused, nor is the battery soldered to anything, tons of adhesive and the lightning connector being soldered to the logic board make at-home repair less than ideal.

[Image credit: iFixit]

Filed under: Apple

iFixit tears iPad Mini asunder, finds very small screws originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 08:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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