After Hours

Cracking Open the Apple iPod Nano (4th generation)

By // September 23, 2008, 12:38 AM PST // markwkaelin

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  • Nanos are colorful

    Cracking Open iPod's from Apple is not for the faint of heart. We had already lost one iPod Nano to the Cracking Open process. Did the fourth generation iPod Nano survive our prying?The fourth generation iPod Nano from Apple is taller and thinner than the previous generation. The media player is also well built and difficult to crack open, but that didn't stop us from trying -- even if it meant sacrificing the device's ability to operate.

  • Jewel case

    As with other Apple IPod's, the Nano comes in a jewel case so you can marvel at its cool design.

  • Yep, it's a Nano

    I generally like the iPod Nano line of media players from Apple - simple, sturdy, stylish, and reasonably priced.

    I would really like to have a working iPod after this Cracking Open.

  • 4th generation

    The 4th generation iPod Nano has rounded edges giving it an elliptical shape.

  • Apple Store

    We purchased our iPod Nano at the local Apple Store. It was the first time I'd every been in one. It was busy and there lots of people walking around, but Bill Detwiler and I were the only ones buying anything as far as I could tell.

  • Thin for the win

    This generation of the iPod Nano is very thin. Even with my smallish hands it seem to be a little too thin. I think a sleeve is definitely in order for owners of this version of the Nano.

  • Simplify, simplify

    Like the iPod Shuffle which I have been using for years now, the iPod Nano is simplicity itself. Turn it on, push play, and enjoy.

  • Software

    Navigation for the iPod Nano is familiar to all iPod users. You can scroll by song, artist, album, and genre.

  • Album art

    Because of the video screen, you can view the album art associated with a song or album. The song title is scrolling across under the image.

  • A bird in hand

    The 4th generation iPod Nano was a fraction too thin for my taste. I felt like I was dropping it. A protective sleeve would probably do the trick. The 8GB version here holds about 1600 songs from my music library.

  • The kit and caboodle

    Here is what else comes in the iPod Nano box. I never use ear buds, but some people love them.

  • Angle of attack

    We start the Cracking Open process on the top end near the switch. (See the red arrow)

  • Flat head screwdriver

    A precision flat head screwdriver is all we need to gently separate the plastic cover from the end of the iPod Nano.

  • So far so good

    Well that part was easy. The plastic piece pulled right off. Putting it back in place may pose a problem, but we'll think about that later.

  • First set of screws

    The top of the iPod Nano has two very small Phillips head screws that we will have to remove.

    The switch is really just a mechanical offset for the real switch. An interesting design decision.

  • The bottom

    We take a similar approach to the bottom plastic covering.

  • Still no problems

    The bottom plastic covers comes off just as easy as the one on the top.

  • More screws

    There are three very small screws on the bottom of the iPod Nano. The screws were more difficult to remove than you might first imagine. It is is difficult to find a Phillips head screwdriver with a small enough point and a large enough handle to get the appropriate torque.

    Notice the glue still clinging to the bottom of the case.

  • The locking switch

    The locking switch on the top of the iPod just pops right off.

  • Bottom plate

    This little plastic piece helped keep the important connection in the bottom of the iPod Nano in place. Now comes the hard part.

  • The problem is encountered

    Okay, now we have come to the ultimate Cracking Open problem. Ideally, we should be able to slide the entire insides out one end of the case or the other, but that is not happening.

  • It's still alive

    At this point the iPod Nano is still working. I could put it back to the way it was and no one would know the difference. But is this is a TechRepublic Cracking Open we must go on.

    Unfortunately, this is the last time this particular iPod Nano was seen alive.

  • Trying one last solution

    After looking at the problem from every angle and even sleeping on it overnight I was still stuck. I tried removing the end piece of the LCD screen hoping that would allow me to pull all of the parts out of the case from the other end.

    Alas, it did not work.

  • The culprit

    Here is the problem as best as I can show it in these images. The ribbon in the encircled area attaches the LCD screen to the circuit board under the controlling buttons. If there were someway to lift the ribbon gate (red arrow) I could remove the LCD and potentially get access to the battery which is the part preventing me from removing the rest of the device from the case.

  • Sacrifices have to be made

    After a half day of wrangling, I had to make the fatal decision. To get access the chips and finish this Cracking Open I was going to have to break the iPod Nano. With steady pulling pressure the problematic ribbon cable broke and gave me access to all of the internal parts.

    My apologies to the electronic gadget karma gods.

    You can see that the battery is glued to the case.

  • Battery

    The battery and circuit board structure are the last thing removed from the case. It would have been so much easier if this apparatus just slide out of the case. Apple has apparently decided that the iPod Nano is not a serviceable device. If yours breaks, you'll be getting a new or recertified replacement.

  • Glass window

    To improve the longevity of the LCD panel, Apple used a glass window at the case level. Oddly enough, the glass was not glued to the case like the battery - it just relied on the pressure of all of the other parts stuffed inside.

  • Circuit board

    Our first look at the circuit board. Notice the torn ribbon cable (red arrow). That is the culprit that prevented a less destructive Cracking Open.

  • Connected again

    Here is how the circuit board is mounted when inside the case.

  • Broken ribbon

    As you can see the ribbon cables were what was tying the curcuit board and LCD to the battery mount. Access to a couple of ribbon cable gates could have saved the Apple iPod Nano from the junk heap.

  • LCD

    The LCD is pretty standard for media players these days. The Apple iPod Nano's LCD screen is crisp but nothing spectacular.

  • Ribbon cable number two

    Besides the large ribbon cable connecting the LCD to the rest of the device, there was also this small ribbon cable (yellow) that connected the locking switch.

    Yes, indeed, it too is broken.

  • Empty case

    Once the insides are removed, we are left with a single piece case.

  • Battery

    The battery is fairly large for a media player. You can see on top of the image the connections for the button wheel located on the frame.

  • RAM

    The big Toshiba chip is the 8GB of storage the iPod Nano supplies.

    The iPod Nano can tell its orientation and flip the image on the LCD screen accordingly. This means there are accelerometer chips on board (arrows).

  • ARM processor

    The red arrow is pointing to the main processor, an ARM chip.

  • The other Apple chip

    This Apple chip supplements the ARM chip and likely holds the operating system and menu systems. It may also have something to do with display sub system.

  • Sounds of silence

    The smaller chips, judging by their location, are most likely chips involved with the production of sound.

  • Damage done

    Here is another look at the ribbon cables that were torn apart -- again I feel bad about having to break the iPod Nano - but a man's got to do what a man's got to do.

  • Exploded view

    Here is the Apple iPod Nano all Cracked Open. Miniaturization of the electronics has shrunk some fairly powerful audio/visual performance into a very small space.

    But once again, I cannot emphasize this enough - do not open your fourth generation iPod and expect it to work. These devices are not designed to be opened ever. Let the death of the TechRepublic Cracking Open iPod be your warning.

Nanos are colorful

Cracking Open iPod's from Apple is not for the faint of heart. We had already lost one iPod Nano to the Cracking Open process. Did the fourth generation iPod Nano survive our prying?The fourth generation iPod Nano from Apple is taller and thinner than the previous generation. The media player is also well built and difficult to crack open, but that didn't stop us from trying -- even if it meant sacrificing the device's ability to operate.

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By Mark Kaelin

Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.