Ho John Lee’s Weblog

The current issue of EETimes gives us a good look at the innards of the new iPod Nano. Earlier posts on the new iPod have noted the “Apple”-branded chips, which are identified in this teardown. PortalPlayer had supplied the media processor for the original Nano, and has been replaced in the 2nd generation design:

An Apple-labeled ASIC, the S5L8701- B05, comes from Samsung and is responsible for all audio and still-image decoding. Other than the Apple proprietary markings on the Nano’s CPU, labeling tells of an ARM core within the Samsung chip, under 6 x 6 mm in die size, and packaged in an underfilled ball grid array package similar to the Nano’s PortalPlayer-based predecessor. Unlike the first-generation design, which had a separate NAND controller component from SST, the Samsung CPU appears to have integrated the NAND interface directly, reducing cost and complexity.

Apple showed their “iTV” box at today’s media event. It’s intended to connect downloaded video to home televisions. Today was a pre-announcement, for a planned release next spring, so you can’t go out and buy one.

In any case, I can tell already that the iTV would probably pass the spouse test in our household. We have gone through an assortment of roll-your-own video and media server projects over the past few years, but it usually ends up that I’m the only one that can get BeyondTV / MythTV / Freevo / whatever running, which generally defeats the purpose.

By the spring, there will probably be competing form factors based on Vista as well. In any case, I’m sure they will be far more acceptable to the rest of our household than the DIY approach.

A couple of weeks ago, Apple Computer announced a better-than-expected quarter, and also mentioned that they didn’t expect any “material adjustments” to result from their stock options accounting investigation. Since then, the share price has been rocketing from the low 50s up to touch 70 today.

After the close today, they mentioned that they will restate earnings back as far as 2002 and will delay filing their 10-Q. Oops.

Reuters News, August 3, 2006

Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - News) said on Thursday it would likely need to restate earnings and will delay filing its quarterly report because of additional irregularities it found in its accounting of stock options and its shares fell 6.6 percent.

Apple also said in a SEC regulatory filing Thursday that all financial communications issued since September 29, 2002, should not be relied upon. The irregularities are related to the issuance of stock option grants made between 1997 and 2001.

Alex Muse takes apart his Apple iPod Nano and lays out the pieces so the curious among us won’t have to.

Inside Apple’s New Nano (wonder what’s inside)

For some reason, I get a 1024×768 photo viewing this in my RSS reader, but only 425×321 viewing his web site directly. Obviously, the larger photo has better details.

Wonder if he can get it back together (and working)? Those connectors look pretty fussy.

Update 09-22-2005 13:41 PDT: The Inquirer has some details on the components from a report by iSuppli:

The firm offers a “teardown analysis” which it said showed the device uses a Portalplayer 5021C system on a chip and a Cypress CY8C21434 for the circuitry behind the “click wheel” interface.
…
It said that these, along with other ICs (integrated circuits), account for 77 per cent of the $90.18 total bill of materials (BOM) cost of the Nano.