O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: glue

  • iFixit completes seventh-gen iPod nano teardowns, finds additional NAND Flash memory, Bluetooth, assorted mystery chips

    It’s the teardowns that make things interesting.

    Per iFixit, the teardown of the seventh-gen iPod nano revealed the following interesting components:

    – The Toshiba THGBX2G7D2JLA01, which includes 16 gigabytes of NAND flash. The Broadcom BCM2078KUBG also includes both the Bluetooth and FM radios.

    – A touchscreen controller from Texas Instruments identified as 343S0538.

    – A chip from NXP Semiconductors labeled “1609A1”.

    The device also contained the following mystery chips which have yet to be identified:
    – 75203 23017

    – 75292 98820

    – 339S0193

    – Apple 338S1099

    – Apple 338S1146

    iFixit also found that the battery in the new iPod nano is soldered directly to the logic board and adhered to the back of the display. They did find a plastic pull tab presumed to be in place for removing the battery, however they found the adhesive holding the battery in place was too strong.

    The new 3.7V, 0.8Wh, 220 mAh battery is more than twice that of the 0.39 Wh rating of the sixth-generation iPod nano. The solutions provider also found that the LCD and digitizer glass are not fused together, which means each component could be replaced separately.

    The same could not be said for the battery, Lightning connector, or volume controls, all of which are soldered to the logic board. Pulling out the logic board also removes the battery, button cable, Lightning connector, and headphone jack.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available and if you’ve snagged a new seventh-generation iPod nano and have any feedback to offer about it, please let us know in the comments.

  • iFixit repair guide posits $500 estimate to replace Retina Display MacBook Pro battery

    If you want to replace the battery on your brand new 2012 Retina Display MacBook Pro, it’s going to get pricey.

    Per MacNN, the newly-published iFixit repair guide for the Retina MacBook Pro breaks tasks down by component, such as the logic board, left and right fans, or the SSD. Of special interest though is the battery, which iFixit estimates could cost US$500 to replace “if technicians follow the safer Apple-suggested procedure and replace the entire upper case assembly along with the battery.”

    In an earlier teardown, iFixit called the Retina Pro the “least repairable laptop” it had ever taken apart. This is mostly because Apple has gone to extreme measures to keep the computer thin. The battery, for instance, is glued into the case instead of using screws, and the different parts of the display assembly have been merged together, dropping a glass protection layer. Even opening the chassis can be a problem, since Apple uses an unusual pentalobe screw type to hold the lower case together.

    So, yes, the Retina Display MacBook Pro can be repaired by the user, even if iFixit does feel that some trepidation is warranted…

  • Retina Display MacBook Pro battery more expensive than previous iterations

    Apple’s new Retina Display MacBook Pro may be snazzy, but it isn’t cheap to fix if the battery fails.

    Per Macworld, the battery on the current model has been priced at 54 percent more expensive than the previous iteration. Apple updated the pricing list for MacBook battery replacements, showing that servicing the new model’s battery will run US$199 before tax.

    Some MacBook Pro notebooks with built-in batteries require a replacement battery two or three years down the line. Since all of Apple’s latest models do not feature a user-serviceable battery slot, you have to take it to the Genius Bar to get it serviced. This costs US$129 for 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros, but the Retina MacBook Pro features a higher price.

    A replacement battery for the Retina MacBook Pro will cost you US$199 before taxes, Apple’s price list shows—54 percent more than that of previous models. In comparison, the cost of servicing the battery on the now-retired 17-inch MacBook Pro, which featured a larger battery than its smaller notebook counterparts, was US$179.

    iFixit’s teardown of the US$2200 15-in Retina MacBook Pro gives a few hints on the reasoning behind the price increase. The battery has 95 watt hours (Wh) at 10.95 V, compared to last year’s 77.5 Wh battery, and instead of being screwed into the machine, it’s glued into place, making it more difficult to replace.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • iFixit posts full teardown of mid-2012 Retina Display MacBook Pro, finds significant changes in architecture

    Well…that was speedy.

    Late Tuesday night, the cool cats at iFixit posted a full teardown of the new Retina Display MacBook Pro.

    The company apparently had little trouble maneuvering past Apple’s proprietary pentalobe screws and by Step 6 in the process, the inside of the unit was unveiled for all to see online.



    Among the discoveries made:
    – The battery is no longer screwed into the machine, but rather glued.

    – The 512GB flash storage chips were marked as Samsung, but the chips themselves appear to be proprietary, something new for the MacBook Pro line.

    – The RAM itself seems to be soldered to the logic board.

    – The proprietary SSD also is not yet replaceable.

    – The “display assembly is completely fused, and there’s no glass protecting it,” iFixit writes. “If anything ever fails inside the display, you will need to replace the entire extremely expensive assembly.”

    So, yeah, if you’re tinkering with your brand new Retina Display MacBook Pro, please be careful.

    Additional details as they become available.

  • You too can now smell like a new MacBook Pro…

    It’s hard to say if this was on your bucket list, but perhaps it’s worth looking into.

    Per Macworld UK, A unique fragrance – the scent of a newly purchased Apple product being opened for the first time – has been created for an upcoming art exhibition by Melbourne artists Gavin Bell, Jarrah de Kuijer and Simon McGlinn.



    The scent created with Air Aroma for Greatest Hits encompasses the smell of the plastic wrap covering the box, the printed ink on the cardboard, the smell of paper and plastic components within the box and, of course, the aluminum notebook which has come straight from the factory in China.

    The creation process included suppliers in the South of France sending over samples of fragrances with the aromas of glue, plastic, rubber and paper. The samples were then used as ingredients by Air Aroma fragrance designers to create a range of signature blend fragrances.

    To complete the fragrance they observed the unboxing of a new Apple computer to source fragrance samples. On completion the laptop was sent back to Australia, together with the scent of an Apple Macbook Pro.

    The fragrance will feature at an exhibition at West Space, in Melbourne, entitled ‘De facto Standard’ between April 20th and May 12th.