Apple’s first smartwatch was recently launched, and naturally we all want to know just how smart this “smartwatch” really is. Although it does not yet have the sales numbers of the iPhone 6, the Apple Watch can still be regarded as a successful product. Now a new teardown conducted by iFixit and Chipworks reveals a slew of interesting details about the new device.
Apple Watch goes under X-ray
This is not just any normal device teardown, but instead, it’s a full X-ray teardown. The X-ray analysis of the new Apple Watch reveals the Apple S1 System in Package (SiP) that is composed of over “30 individual components, attached to a single board that is then overmolded with a silica or aluminum composite resin—similar to conventional IC packaging, but for an entire board.”
The watch is powered by Apple’s new APL0778 processor, which is developed using Samsung’s 28-nanometer process. Yes, you read this right, Apple’s rival Samsung is supplying this key component for the watch. However, analysts note this is not the first time Samsung has supplied components to Apple, as the Korean electronics giant has provided various components for the iPad and iPhone already in the past. Whether they are friends or competitors, the two companies do have a strong relationship when it comes to business.
iFixit also points out that the 28-nm fabrication process chip used in the smartwatch is actually a step backwards from Apple’s 20-nm A8 processor that shipped in the iPhone 6. Of note, Samsung has now started to fab chips on a 14-nm scale, and thus, the next Apple Watch can be more power efficient.
So what are your thoughts on the new Apple Watch? Are you going to get one or will you wait for the next generation of Apple Watch to be released? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
