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Apple

Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

By Bill Detwiler November 6, 2013, 8:50 AM PST on Twitter billdetwiler

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apple_ipad_air_2013_teardown_048.png
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Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Apple iPad Air teardown

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Apple iPad Air teardown

The iPad Air is the thinnest and lightest version of Apple’s full-size tablet. It also has a faster processor, better front-facing camera, a completely flip flopped internal layout, and lots of other hardware updates.

In this Cracking Open gallery, I show you how to get inside the device and give you a tour of the redesigned interior. For a detailed analysis of the teardown, check out my article and video, iPad Air teardown reveals significant internal design changes.

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
apple_ipad_air_2013_teardown_001.png
apple_ipad_air_2013_teardown_001.png
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Models and pricing

Image: TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Models and pricing

The iPad Air is available with 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB of storage and comes in two finishes–Space Gray (black) and Silver (white). Wi-Fi versions of the Air start at $499 and go up to $799. Cellular models start at $629 and top out at $929.

Image: TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Box contents

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Box contents

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Dimensions and weight

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Dimensions and weight

At 6.6 inches wide, 9.4 inches tall, and a mere 0.29 inch thick, the 2013 iPad Air is thinner, shorter, and narrower than the iPad 4. It also weighs nearly half a pound less (1.0 pound for Wi-Fi and 1.05 pounds for cellular).

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Back

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Back

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Front

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Front

Apple didn’t upgrade the Air’s Retina display, rear-facing camera, 802.11n Wi-Fi, or Home button–no Touch ID sensor here. But they did give their flagship tablet the company’s new 64-bit A7 processor, their M7 motion co-processor, an upgraded FaceTime HD camera, and a new battery.

They also redesigned the internal hardware layout, which changes slightly how you crack open the Air compared to previous iPads.

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Lightning connector and speakers

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Lightning connector and speakers

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Headphone jack, sleep/wake button, rotation lock switch, and volume buttons

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Headphone jack, sleep/wake button, rotation lock switch, and volume buttons

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: 5MP iSight camera

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: 5MP iSight camera

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
apple_ipad_air_2013_teardown_009.png
apple_ipad_air_2013_teardown_009.png
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Heating the front panel adhesive

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Heating the front panel adhesive

To begin opening the iPad Air, I heated the edges of the panel to loosen the adhesive that holds it to the aluminum body. Then, starting from the lower-left corner, I used a series of thin tools to gently pry the panel loose.

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
apple_ipad_air_2013_teardown_010.png
apple_ipad_air_2013_teardown_010.png
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Prying lose the front panel

Cracking Open iPad Air: Prying lose the front panel

Be very careful around the lower-right corner and along the right edge. There are several thin ribbon cables there that connect the front panel to the motherboard.

Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Lift up on the front panel

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Lift up on the front panel

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Front panel opened, but still connected

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Front panel opened, but still connected

You can’t completely remove the panel until you take out the display.

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Front panel ribbon cables

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Front panel ribbon cables

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Removing the LCD panel screws

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Removing the LCD panel screws

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Lifting up the LCD panel

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Lifting up the LCD panel

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Removing the front panel and LCD connector cover screws

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Removing the front panel and LCD connector cover screws

The connectors for the front panel and LCD are located under a thin metal shield, which is held in place with three screws.

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Detaching the LCD panel connector

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Detaching the LCD panel connector

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Retina LCD panel - Front

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Retina LCD panel - Front

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Retina LCD panel - back

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Retina LCD panel - back

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: LCD panel model number

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: LCD panel model number

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Detaching the front panel connectors

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Detaching the front panel connectors

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Front panel - Front

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Front panel - Front

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Front Panel - Back

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Front Panel - Back

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: FaceTime HD camera bracket

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: FaceTime HD camera bracket

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Home button

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Home button

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Internal hardware

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Internal hardware

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Removing motherboard shield tape

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Removing motherboard shield tape

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Removing the motherboard shield

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Removing the motherboard shield

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Motherboard shield removed

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Motherboard shield removed

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
apple_ipad_air_2013_teardown_029.png
apple_ipad_air_2013_teardown_029.png
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Motherboard shield removed

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Motherboard shield removed

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Upper case hardware

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Upper case hardware

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Headphone jack

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Headphone jack

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: iSight camera, sleep/wake button, lock switch, and volume button

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: iSight camera, sleep/wake button, lock switch, and volume button

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Lower hardware

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Lower hardware

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Lightning connector

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Lightning connector

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Motherboard

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Motherboard

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
apple_ipad_air_2013_teardown_037.png
apple_ipad_air_2013_teardown_037.png
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: 64-bit A7 processor

Bil Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: 64-bit A7 processor

Bil Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Toshiba THGBX2G7B2JLA01 16GB NAND flash

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Toshiba THGBX2G7B2JLA01 16GB NAND flash

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Elpida 1GB LPDDR3 SDRAM

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Elpida 1GB LPDDR3 SDRAM

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: USI 339S0213 Wi-Fi Module

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: USI 339S0213 Wi-Fi Module

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: NXP 1610A1 T98020 Z D33123-39 (also found on iPhone 5S)

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: NXP 1610A1 T98020 Z D33123-39 (also found on iPhone 5S)

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Apple 343S0655-A1 1335KHGP

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Apple 343S0655-A1 1335KHGP

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Fairchild BDCAR FDMC 6683

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Fairchild BDCAR FDMC 6683

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Apple 338S1116 Cirrus Audio Code (also found in iPhone 5C)

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Apple 338S1116 Cirrus Audio Code (also found in iPhone 5C)

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
Apple iPad Air teardown
Apple iPad Air teardown
Cracking Open the Apple iPad Air

Cracking Open iPad Air: Disassembled

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic

Cracking Open iPad Air: Disassembled

Bill Detwiler/TechRepublic
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By Bill Detwiler
Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show.
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