Post date: Sep 21, 2012 10:49:53 AM
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (SEPTEMBER 21, 2012)(REUTERS) - As the new iPhone went on sale in Australia, the California-based recycling and repair community, Ifixit, was there to break one open.
Ifixit's co-founder, Luke Soules, travelled to Melbourne iFixit and spent the night lined up at a local store to buy one of the first iPhone 5s.
As Apple's new iPhone goes on sale in Australia, one of the first to get their hands on it immediately break it open. The traditional teardown of the iPhone by the California-based recycling and repair community, Ifixit, is always closely watched to see what they think of the new device.
Soules rushed the phone to a nearby Mac repair store fitted out with tools, lights and a camera to begin dissecting the iPhone, a process that can take hours but has become a modern tradition of new iPhone launches.
He said the latest iPhone has a larger, 4-inch screen and is slimmer and far lighter than previous models and he was quick to list chip suppliers for the device including Qualcomm, Avago and Skyworks Solutions.
Soules said he like the design of the new device.
"The way it comes off with the display assembly coming off first is a great thing for 'repair-ability' because I have now removed a total of 5 screws and I have removed the front display assembly," he said.
Apple booked over two million online pre-orders for the device in the first 24 hours, underpinning investors' expectations the new device will maintain the Cupertino, California company's meteoric growth.
Other companies supplying parts for the new phone include memory chipmaker Hynix and radio-frequency chipmaker Triquint, according to iFixit.
"I think the main surprise here is TriQuint. I don't believe TriQuint has been in all the recent iPhones so I'm a little surprised to see them here," said Soules.
News that a supplier has been chosen -- or rejected -- for one of Apple's products can cause drastic swings in stock prices. But Apple doesn't disclose which companies make the components that go into its smartphones.
To see iFixit's teardown, click http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone-5-Teardown/10525/1
Chip executives who are often happy to boast to reporters about what smartphones their components have been chosen for turn silent at the mention of Apple - for fear of losing current business or missing future opportunities with the world's most prestigious consumer electronics device maker.
Teardowns give investors a vital glimpse of which suppliers have been chosen for new Apple devices.