Specialists from iFixit, disassemble almost all electronic handheld device, and finally got to the premium smartphone from Samsung – Galaxy Alpha. Let’s see what came of it.

As the resource phonearena, the first thing that caught my eye in the art, it was the absence of any waterproofing, such as in the Galaxy S5. Of course, Galaxy Alpha is not positioned as a waterproof smartphone, but the presence of even a small protection against water would be for him a huge plus.

After removing the rear panel iFixit got to the battery of the device and, in turn, noted that to remove it is not too difficult. Thus Samsung engineers have taken care of the possibility of a simple battery replacement.

However, on “all lovers apart” a bit stuck. The fact that in order to get to the motherboard, it is necessary to dismantle the device screen. In turn, it is attached quite firmly, and to remove it, you must be very careful, as there is the risk of damage.

However, if you manage to separate the motherboard, the more things will get better. Most components Galaxy Alpha are modular and easy to replace.

As a result, experts iFixit awarded Galaxy Alpha five points on a 10-point scale. Scores were reduced by more extent due to the difficulty of dismantling the display.

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IFixit experts did not believe in the word of the technical director Yasuhiro Sony Ohtori, recently granted the video, which captures the process of dismantling the PlayStation 4 , and decided to dismantle the cogs on a new gaming console.

Recall that, in the configuration of the gaming console PS4 is on x86 processor from AMD with 8 cores of Jaguar and graphic blocks Radeon c peak performance of up to 1.84 teraflops, 8 GB of RAM type GDDR5, a hard disk of 500 GB, wireless modules Wi- Fi (802.11b/g/n) and Bluetooth (2.1), Ethernet network adapter with a capacity of 10/100/1000 Mbit / s connectors, and USB 3.0.

Thus, the autopsy showed that the PCB unit has 16 memory type GDDR5 production Samsung (K4G41325FC-HC03) the total capacity of 8 GB, located on both sides of the board, SoC SCEI (Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.), Which includes 8 cores AMD Jaguar and GPU Radeon, network processor SCEI (CXD90025G), a memory module of type DDR3 Samsung 256MB (K4B2G1646E-BCK0), flash memory chip Serial Flash Memory production Macronix (MX25L25635FMI) 32 MB, a network controller Marvell ( 88EC060-NN82), the hub Genesys Logic GL3520 and other components.

Maintainability console valued at eight points out of ten. Of the benefits of the design highlights iFixit easy replacement hard drive, and the lack of glue, which greatly facilitates the process of assembly and disassembly of the console. In deficiencies recorded location fan and heatsink (to clean the dust from the cooling subsystem or to replace the fan, you need to disassemble almost the entire console), and the sharp edges on the metal lattice to which the components are mounted.

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Experts from iFixit have access to the new tablet Apple iPad Mini with Retina display and the verdict on its maintainability.

Having looked at the individual components of the device, the experts assigned tablet Apple iPad Mini with Retina display maintainability rating 2 out of 10. Note the maximum score of 10 corresponds to the most easily repairable devices. Thus, this model is almost not suitable for repair. In general, the experts noted the following positive features:

• LCD panel and glass are combined and can not be replaced separately;
• The battery is not connected to the motherboard or other components.

The disadvantages of assembling the tablet Apple iPad Mini with Retina display iFixit attributed to the following:

• Tiny screws can be easy to lose;
• For fixing many of the components (front window, batteries, front camera, rear camera, cables) uses a large amount of glue, making it very hard repair;
• Lightning connector is soldered to the motherboard;
• For fixing the internal components used hidden screws.

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Repair specialists from the site iFixit got released this week updated the iMac and promptly made ​​it out to become familiar with the changes undergone internal components of new items. The results showed that the iMac with a processor Intel Haswell has much in common with its predecessor, including a low level of maintainability.

Updated iMac without much pomp went on sale this Tuesday, and despite the upgrade in computer parts, other aspects have remained virtually unchanged. In fact, according to iFixit, the new iMac is 99% similar to the previous model.

After working with 21.5 – and 27-inch models, computer specialists have found that mounting the display to the body of Apple once again took advantage of a foam adhesive composition. Such a choice of causes many claims as it greatly complicates the process of disassembling the device for repair.

After removing the motherboard from the 21.5-inch model, experts from iFixit found an empty slot PCIe SSD. This means that, if desired, can expand the internal memory of a computer. The same pattern applies to the 27-inch screen.

We also found a new card Broadcom AirPort, supporting standard 802.11ac Wi-Fi, which first appeared on the updated MacBook Air. Also in the computer are present three dual-band module Skyworks SE5516 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WLAN single-chip solution and Broadcom BCM20702 Bluetooth 4.0 with support for HCI Bluetooth Low Energy. 

Apple also somewhat simplified some of the components of internal equip the new iMac. Thus, the cables for power and data SATA hard drive were combined, which should be to simplify the process of disassembly. Furthermore, some redesign of the system was subjected to cooling the CPU. By the way, the chip is now soldered to the motherboard, eliminating the possibility of repair, replacement or upgrade. According to iFixit, this is the first aluminum iMac, is equipped with a soldered processor. At the same time it should be noted that this applies only to the 21.5-inch version.

Summing up, the experts carried disappointing verdict: maintainability of the new iMac has received 2 points out of a possible 10. If the maintenance staff will be able to overcome the obstacle of unyielding adhesive, they will be able to replace the RAM and hard drive. At the same time, in the event of a failure of the processor after the warranty period, users will most likely have to buy a new computer.

According to the materials iFixit.com

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Experts from iFixit have access to the new smartphone Apple iPhone 5S and reached a verdict on its maintainability.

 Having looked at the individual components of the device, the experts assigned smartphone Apple iPhone 5S maintainability rating 6 out of 10. This figure is slightly higher than the average. The maximum score of 10 corresponds to the most easily repairable devices. In general, the experts noted the following features: 

 As is the case with the iPhone 5, dismantling the machine starts with the removal of the display. Thus, the replacement of the display does not require a lot of time and effort. 
 Despite the fact that the battery is not user replaceable, access thereto is quite simple. 
 And, although access to the battery just replace it rather problematic. This is due to the fact that the battery is used for fixing the adhesive and not latch the latch. The characteristics of the battery – 3.8 V, 5.92 Wh, 1560 mAh. 
 If you do not exercise reasonable care in the process of dismantling the apparatus, fingerprint scanner cable can be pulled out of the socket. 
 For attaching external components are used screws Pentalobe, which complicates the process of disassembling the unit. 
 The protective glass, touch panel and display are a single component. Thus, it will replace more costly than the replacement of individual components.

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Along with the announcement of a new tablet Nexus 7 , Google has shown the device to broadcast media content on mobile devices running Android (and a PC) to the TV. Novelty was the name Chromecast and evaluated by the manufacturer at $ 35. On the principle of its operation, we wrote the first news. However, it is necessary to add that the device allows you to broadcast not only running on a smartphone (or tablet) media content, but even a video of the tabs in the browser Chrome.

Thus, the device has not had time to get on the shelves, as specialists iFixit disassembled baby and showed us what it consists of. Actually, the PCB Chromecast settled:

• SoC Marvell DE3005-A1;
• 2 GB of flash memory production Micron;
• chip AzureWave AW-NH387, is responsible for the wireless interfaces;
• 512 MB of RAM DDR3L production Micron;

It is also worth noting the presence of the device port Micro USB. During the presentation, not a word was said about the fact that the device was found to require additional power connection. At one and the visible image can be cable USB, and directly the adapter. However, on the box (on the inside), you can see a simple pattern, which makes it clear that Chromecast also can be powered from the USB connector and on the TV.

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