There’s generally some good savings in Apple’s refurbished section.
And you can now count the iPad Air 2 as part of this inventory.
Apple on Wednesday added several configurations of the iPad Air to to its online store for refurbished products, marking the first time refurbished versions of the iPad Air 2 have been made available for purchase.
As is customary, the new iPad Air has been torn down to get an approximate fix on his much its component pieces retailed for.
The answer for the iPad Air 2 is about US$275.
Per MacRumors and Re/code, research firm IHS iSuppli has torn down the new iPad Air 2 in an attempt to estimate Apple’s component costs for the device. According to IHS iSuppli’s estimates, the 16 GB iPad Air 2 costs Apple roughly US$275 to build, just one dollar more than last year’s iPad Air.
The report unsurprisingly points out that Apple benefits from stronger profit margins as users move to higher capacity models, with Apple paying only about US$50 more for 128 GB of storage compared to the base 16 GB configuration while charging users US$200 for the upgrade. Still, Apple’s move to eliminate the 32 GB option and slide the 64 GB and 128 GB models down US$100 has slightly eroded Apple’s profit margins at the top end.
The latest report from the research firm IHS, shows that the base model of the iPad Air 2, the 16-GB Wi-Fi version, which sells for a price of US$499, costs $275 to build, exactly one dollar higher than the previous base model. The top-end model, the 128-GB LTE version costs which sells for US$829, costs US$358 to manufacture.
Apple’s top of the line iPad just got a bit thinner and faster.
Per AppleInsider, Apple announced the iPad Air 2, its next-gen full-sized iPad. The new version, which will begin preorders on Friday, includes a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, new anti-reflective screen coating, and the speedy new A8X processor.
The new iPad Air stands at 18 percent thinner than the previous model, making it the world’s thinnest tablet to date.
Like previous models, the Wi-Fi-only iPad Air 2 starts at US$499 for 16 gigabytes. But another $100 quadruples storage to 64 gigabytes, and a high-end model with 128 gigabytes runs US$699. LTE-capable versions carry a US$130 premium at the same capacities.
Preorders for the iPad Air 2 will begin on Friday, and the units will begin shipping next week.
Apple should be able to make its quota for items that require a sapphire coating, especially the iPhone 6, with the opening of GT Advanced Technologies’ new factory in Arizona.
Per AppleInsider, GT Advanced Technologies on Monday said its Arizona sapphire manufacturing facility in Arizona, built in partnership with Apple, is nearly complete and will transition from initial manufacturing to volume production in the near future.
In its released results for the second fiscal quarter of 2014, the company revealed that its 1.4 million-square-foot plant in Arizona — a joint Apple build dubbed Project Cascade — is nearing completion, meaning the facility’s output should hit mass production levels in the near future.
The next-gen iPhone may be a bit late in arrival.
Per ” target=”_blank”>AppleInsider, Ming-chi Kuo of KGI Securities, who has a strong track record in revealing Apple’s future product plans, shared a research note on Thursday that suggested Apple’s so-called “iPhone 5S,” a rumored low-cost iPhone, and a second-generation iPad mini will all launch later than market consensus expects.
These apparent delays are driven by a variety of issues, according to Kuo. For the “iPhone 5S,” he said Apple plans to include a fingerprint sensor that poses a number of technical challenges. An “iPhone 5S” fingerprint sensor, Retina display for next iPad mini, and ultrathin plastic casing for low-cost iPhone are expected to cause production challenges for Apple.
“Apple has to work out how to prevent interference from the black and white coating material under the cover glass,” he said. “Apple is the first to attempt this function and technology, and time is needed to find the right coating material, which will likely affect iPhone 5S shipments.”
Kuo has previously claimed that Apple plans to integrate a fingerprint sensor beneath the home button the next iPhone. This new technology would allow users to bypass password entry, and could also allow Apple to integrate secure e-wallet functionality.
Another hold-up for the next iPhone, according to Kuo, is the development of iOS 7, Apple’s anticipated next-generation mobile operating system. The analyst said Thursday that more time is likely to be needed for software development and testing, particularly with respect to the fingerprint scanning functions that will be included with the software.
As for the rumored low-cost iPhone said to be in the works at Apple, Kuo said Apple faces challenges with the casing on the device. He expects that the low-end iPhone will have a plastic casing that will be slimmer than such casings regularly are. Kuo correctly predicted the bulk of Apple’s 2012 product lineup. This year, he sees iPhone and iPad sales shrinking to single-digit growth in the third quarter because of apparent behind-the-scenes production delays.
“The slimmer casing may make it more difficult to ramp up production yields of coating and surface treatment, and could slow down the shipment timetable,” he said.
Finally, Kuo said the “iPad mini 2” faces challenges with its display panels, as he expects Apple will opt to include a high-resolution Retina display with the second-generation device. This is expected to make the device more difficult to manufacture, which could delay shipments.
As a result of these issues, Kuo said it’s likely that Apple will see single-digit growth in iPhone and iPad shipments in the third quarter of 2013. That would be well below the market consensus, which sees Apple growing its sales by between 30 and 40 percent with the introductions of new products.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
