Teardown: iPad Air has lower BOM than 3rd-gen iPad Model, IHS assesses
The iPad Air with 16 GB of NAND flash memory and cellular connectivity has a BOM of $304, according to preliminary results from the Teardown Analysis Service at IHS. This represents a 6% reduction from $325 for an equivalently equipped third-generation iPad, based on a final pricing estimate for the device at the time of the release in 2012.
When the $6 manufacturing cost of the iPad Air is added in, the total cost to make the tablet increases to $310.
For the lowest-end iPad Air model with 16GB of NAND and no cellular connection, the BOM and manufacturing cost is $274, $42 less than the entry-level third-generation iPad.
“While the iPad Air slims down in size, the profit margins are getting fatter,” said Andrew Rassweiler, senior director, cost benchmarking services for IHS. “Although the Air’s new, ultrathin display and touch screen are more expensive than for the third-generation iPad, Apple has held the line on cost by taking advantage of price erosion in other areas. Furthermore, the iPad Air leverages the same components and suppliers that are used in the iPhone 5s and 5c as much as possible.”
The profitability of the iPad Air rises dramatically as the NAND memory capacity increases. For example, the 32GB model costs Apple only $8.40 more to produce—but has a retail price that’s $100 higher.
The iPad Air’s thinner form factor is partly due to reductions in the thickness of the display and touch-screen subsystems. The Air’s display is 1.8 mm thick, compared to about 2.23 mm for the older-generation iPad. Meanwhile the touch screen is also thinner with its use of an expensive cyclo olephin polymer (COP) film sensor vs. the thicker and cheaper glass sensor used in the previous models.
Exploded, annotated view of the iPad Air (all photographs courtesy of and © IHS)
However, such elegance comes at a price, with both subsystems more costly than before. The iPad Air’s display carries a cost of $90, compared to $87 for the third-generation model. The touch-screen module is estimated at $43.00, compared to $37.50 for the third-generation iPad.
Chips employed
The iPad Air uses the same Apple-designed, Samsung-manufactured A7 processor found in the iPhone 5s, with some variations. The Air’s A7 integrated circuit is packaged with a metal top that acts as a heat sink. The A7 likely runs hotter in the iPad Air than in the iPhone 5s because of the additional processor workload required to render graphics on the larger display.
Main PCB, top view
In another variance, the power management chips from Dialog Semiconductor that support both versions of the A7 are noticeably different. IHS will conduct a further examination of the A7 to determine if there are other differences between the processors.
The Air also uses the same memory to support the A7 processor as the 5s, employing 1GB of low-power DDR3 (LPDDR3) DRAM.
Moreover, similar to the 5s for the core baseband and RF transceiver functions, the Air employs the same suite of chips: the MDM9615, WTR1605L and PM8018 from Qualcomm.
Chip changes
In contrast to the processor and baseband segments, the RF/power amplifier (PA) modules in the iPad Air are different compared to the iPhone 5s, in a way that makes a big difference to Apple.
The RF/PA section in the iPad Air supports the 4G Long Term Evolution bands for all US carriers with a single-model iPad (there are no different wireless versions for each US carrier). This isn’t the case for the iPhone 5s, probably due to space constraints in the smaller smartphone form factor.
Main PCB, bottom view
Also, the RF/PA subsystem in the iPad Air is laid out on 40% more surface area in the printed circuit board than the comparable function in the iPhone 5s.
Interestingly, Apple has reduced the capacity of the battery in the iPad Air compared to the previous iPad. Battery capacity in the iPad Air is 32.9 Wh, down 23% from 42.5 Wh in the third-generation model.
This is most likely because of lower power consumption in the display backlight. The iPad Air uses only 36 LEDs to illuminate the LCD, down from 84 in the earlier-generation iPad.
Big changes for microphones
The newest iPad sports major differences in the microphones. The Air uses digital microphone technology rather than the analogue parts in the third-generation model. Apple has exclusively utilised analogue microphones in all its smartphones and tablets – except for the iPad 2, which sported a digital MEMS microphone from Analog Devices.
In another major departure, Apple is employing two microphones in the Air, as opposed to one in the previous models. The second microphone likely performs noise cancellation.
Finally, the iPad Air uses microphones from STMicroelectronics, instead of the parts from Knowles and AAC found in the other iPad models.
IHS; www.ihs.com
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