iPad 2′s weight loss secrets bared

When Apple put the original iPad under the knife, it yielded a fetchingly slimmer iPad 2. IHS iSuppli shows how they did it.

“Thinner is better” is an Apple mantra. And the popularity of the MacBook Air, iPhone, and iPod proves that consumers agree. The iPad is no exception.

By shaving off a sizable 34 percent of the original iPad’s body fat–to 8.8 millimeters from 13.4 millimeters–Apple got the weight down to 600 grams, down 15 percent from 700 grams for the iPad 1.

How did it do it? The biggest reduction in thickness came in the iPad 2′s battery subsystem, wrote Kevin Keller, a teardown analyst at IHS iSuppli, in a research note today. This part of the iPad 2 is 2.5 millimeters thick, a 59 percent reduction from the 6.1 millimeters of the original iPad, according to Keller.

Read the full article here:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20043933-64.html

iPad 2 costs USD326 in parts

The iPad 2 costs US$6 more than its predecessor in parts, according to a research firm’s teardown.

The 32GB, 3G version of Apple’s updated tablet has a bill of materials (BoM) of US$326.60, while the original edition cost US$320 to make as of last April, according to iSuppli.

The analyst firm speculated that manufacturing would add another US$10 to the cost. The 32GB, 3G version is priced at US$729 in the US.

The Motorola Xoom, the Android 3.0 tablet tipped to be the biggest rival to Apple’s market leader, has a BoM of US$359.92, according to iSuppli, and is selling for US$799 in the US.

The most expensive part in the iPad 2 is the touchscreen, which costs US$127. The A5 processor is manufactured by Samsung to Apple’s design and costs US$14 – 75 percent more than the last generation’s A4.

Read the rest of this article:

http://www.itnews.com.au/News/251190,ipad-2-costs-us326-in-parts.aspx