Mystery Apple-Branded Chips Found in iPod nano 7G

With the iPhone 5 and the iPod touch 5G teardowns behind us, the technically-savvy bunch at iFixit are greeting us this week with less significant (but equally exciting) teardown of the iPod nano 7th-generation.

After comparing the player with its (sixth-gen) predecessor, iFixit determined that the new 7th-gen nano is just over twice as tall as the former, as well as thinner and narrower at 3.01 x 1.56 x 0.21 inches. The new version is, however, a bit heavier.

Upon prying open the device, they found the battery soldered directly to the logic board, adhering to the back of the display. According to the repair shop, “replacing it will be a doozy.” Hence some points off for repairability,

Moving on, the techies at iFixit found “an adorable plastic pull tab underneath the battery,” perhaps placed there to facilitate the removal of the Li-Ion cell which outputs 3.7 V / 0.8 Wh / 220 mAh.

The hardware experts note that “0.8 Wh is more than twice that of the iPod Nano 6th Generation’s 0.39 Wh rating.”

Because the LCD and digitizer glass are not fused together, replacement of either component separately is possible – points added for repairability.

“As in the iPod Touch 5th Generation, many of the important components—including the battery, Lightning connector, and volume controls—are soldered to the logic board,” iFixit writes.

“So if you bend your Lighting connector or break your volume control, you’re stuck with replacing the whole suite of components,” says the repair shop.

The company also notes that, “Pulling out the logic board really feels like pulling out the entire iPod—the battery, button cable, Lightning connector, and headphone jack all come with it.”

Finally, a lowdown of the chips found on the logic board is offered. iFixit highlights two mystery chips designed by Apple themselves. Also noteworthy, the NAND Flash comes from Toshiba, and the chip that handles Bluetooth and Radio is signed Broadcom.

 * Toshiba THGBX2G7D2JLA01 128 Gb (16 GB) NAND flash
 * Texas Instruments 343S0538 touchscreen controller
 * Broadcom BCM2078KUBG Bluetooth + FM radio
 * NXP Semiconductors 1609A1
 * 75203 23017
 * 75292 98820
 * 339S0193
 * Apple 338S1099
 * Apple 338S1146