14 DAY TRIAL // UBM TechInsights partnered with Micro Photonics to take a 3-D X-ray scan of the Apple iPhone 4, and proved that the iPad was supposed to use a gyroscope, the company said in an official report issued today.
As reported yesterday by Softpedia, UBM TechInsights found a way to prove Apple had plans to include a digital gyroscope in its tablet device, but waited for the right moment, to avoid spending resources on firmware development.
UBM TechInsights, which specializes in providing technical services, has issued a press release today, confirming that Apple indeed had plans to include a gyro in the iPad.
Since the iPhone 4 contains the ST Microelectronics L3G4200D 3-axis digital gyroscope, UBM TechInsights found it curious that the iPad did not also include one.
"It seemed strange that the iPad did not also include a gyroscope since many of the new applications that were being developed for the iPhone 4 would not function on the iPad," UBM TechInsights Product Manager, Steve Bitton remarked.
Mr. Bitton found an unpopulated spot on the board of the iPad next to the ST Micro STM33DH accelerometer that is also used on the iPhone 4, during a comparative analysis with the iPhone 4.
“But the location on the iPad featured 24 pads whereas the ST Microelectronics L3G4200D gyroscope in the iPhone 4 has only 16 pins,” he said.
"This led us to believe that Apple originally intended to use a different gyroscope for the iPad.”
Noting that the only other commercially available 3-axis, 24 pin digital gyroscope was the InvenSense ITG-3200, UBM TechInsights suspected that Apple had been testing gyroscope use with the iPad.
The company leveraged X-Ray microtomography capabilities from Micro Photonics’ to generate a 3D x-ray image and trace the digital output from the gyroscope to the A4 processor on the iPhone 4.
Not surprisingly, UBM TechInsights found an identical arrangement as that found on the iPad between the InvenSense ITG-3200 gyroscope pad and the A4 processor in the iPhone 4.
"We verified that in both cases the gyroscope signal would go to the same unique pin position on the A4 processor,” Mr. Bitton said.
“This tells us that Apple was planning to use the InvenSense ITG-3200 gyroscope within the iPad,” he clarified.
“In the end, they likely chose to wait until the next version to introduce their preferred gyroscope (ST Micro's L3G4200D) to reduce the amount of firmware development,” Mr. Bitton concluded.
Interestingly, UBM TechInsights’ press room is having trouble loading the PDF press release entitled “UBM TechInsights confirms that the iPad was designed to use a gyroscope.”
It would not be unheard of for Apple to demand that UBM TechInsights pull their report, given the level of secrecy the company imposes.
TechInsights' video (embedded below) aims to confirm that the iPad was designed to use a gyroscope.