July 14th, 2008
Tearing down the iPhone 3G
iFixIt.com was one of the first to get their hands on iPhone 3G and they promptly ripped theirs apart to report on its internal working and components. Since then TechOnline has taken things to the next level – submitting individual chips to an acid bath to reveal their manufacturer, make and model.Among the secrets revealed by the teardown is that four Infineon chips are being used for GSM and 3G networking and the inclusion of TriQuint for three front-end modules.
“Infineon clearly made their mark on this board with four key design wins,” said Allan Yogasingam, a TechOnline technology analyst. “And TriQuint really came from left field with their win their modules. I didn’t see a single press-release or speculative article hinting at a relationship between the two companies. In today’s internet world, that’s a tough thing to keep under wraps.”
If you’re into tech porn the folks at Semiconductor Insights have a complete video teardown of the iPhone 3G.
In Part 1, we look at the main board and see just how much TriQuint and Infineon won out on the new iPhone, as well as how Apple stuck with what worked on the original iPhone.
In Part 2, we show why we think Apple may be pulling away from prior deals with Samsung in favor of other memory suppliers, while also exposing who’s supplying the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability for the new iPhone (hint: no surprises here).
If that’s not enough for you, don’t forget to check out the 56 photo ZDNet take apart gallery.
Jason D. O'Grady is the editor of PowerPage.org, which has been publishing daily mobile technology news since December 1995. For disclosures on Jason's industry affiliations, click here or to view Jason's full profile click here.
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