iSuppli discovered that even on the outside, Apple Inc.’s iPod touch looks a lot like its iPhone, the media player sports a distinct design and unique advancements compared to the iPhone. Also, iSuppli said that the 8Gbyte version of the iPod touch carries a Bill of Materials (BoM) cost of $149.18 based on pricing in October. The 8Gbyte version of the iPod touch sells for $299.
Unveiled in September, iPod Touch is best described as an iPhone minus several features, such as cell phone capability and Bluetooth connection. But iSuppli said the iPod Touch’s design differs from the iPhone in that it is uniquely optimized to meet its form-factor and cost requirements.
For example, to cut space usage, the iPod Touch makes use of some advanced packaging for its components not seen in the iPhone, including 0201 diodes and passive components in 01005 enclosures on the touch’s WLAN module. “This is the first time iSuppli has seen these components in a product we’ve torn down,” Andrew Rassweiler, teardown services manager and principal analyst for iSuppli said.
“Apple products always seem to push the envelope in terms of space savings, and therefore we often first see the newest, most-compact components in Apple products.” Also, another notable difference is in the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design. The iPod Touch employs a single PCB as opposed to the iPhone’s modular two-PCB design.
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