Just a few weeks after the announcement of the new Apple TV, we're now seeing the device from the inside out. iFixit completed its teardown of one of the early developer units and has found a surprisingly large heatsink under the hood.
The heatsink and the power supply are necessary to support the new dual-core A8 chip powering the Apple TV. This goes against Apple's traditional mantra of making new products thinner and lighter than before; overall, the new construction makes the Apple TV a half-inch taller than the previous version and more than 50 percent heavier.
iFixit also notes that there's "a distinct lack of cables connecting the power supply to the logic board." It speculates that the power is transmitted via the heat sink screw posts instead.
While the construction is practical, it doesn't make the new Apple TV easier to repair. iFixit notes that "almost everything important on the Apple TV is soldered to the logic board, which means replacement or board-level soldering is required to solve port problems."
Comparatively, the new Siri Remote has many bits and bobs inside of it. Most notably the remote features a Broadcom touchscreen controller, the same touchscreen as seen in the iPhone 5s and iPad Air, and a 410 mAh battery that's rechargeable via a Lightning port. The remote also sports dual microphones, the new Glass Touch surface, an accelerometer and gyroscope (for motion-detecting controls and gameplay), Bluetooth radio, and an ARM Cortex-M3 MCU.
Aside from the soldered parts, it will be possible to repair a new Apple TV. iFixit gave the device an 8 out of 10 repairability rating, thanks to its modular construction, separate power supply, and adhesive-constructed remote.
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