iSuppli has torn down the new iPhone 4, and found that the hardware costs as little as $187.51 to build.
The smartphone’s most expensive component is the 3.5-inch LCD display, which was created by LG Display and costs $28.50 per device.
“Over the years, the iPhone has generally tended to hover in the $170-to -$180 cost range because Apple seems to be trying to hit some kind of budget,” says Kevin Keller of iSuppli.
Keller notes that the tear down does not include R&D, labor, shipping, advertising and iOS development, which could add a significant amount to the total.
The A4 processor was created by Samsung and costs $10.75 per device. The gyroscope chip costs an estimated $2.60 per device and the accelerometer chip costs 65¢.
It is unclear how much money Apple receives per device from AT&T, which in turn sells the device (with contract) for $199 or $299 depending on the amount of memory, but regardless it seems Apple is making a high profit margin on each device sold.
Result for: Hard
UPDATE 1: The WallStreetJournal is reporting now that the phone will be called the Nexus One. There is no word on whether the rumored Google Voice implementation will be in effect, killing the need for a voice plan but requiring a data plan from a GSM carrier such as AT&T or T-Mobile.
Techcrunch is reporting this weekend that the oft-denied Google Phone is a reality, with Google employees confirming it all over their Twitter homepages and the Google Mobile blog announcing that they are in fact testing the phone with imminent release set for early next year.
Despite previous rumors however, the phone hardware will be manufactured by HTC but the phone will not be sold through a carrier and instead directly from Google as an unlocked handset. The phone’s looks are said to be based on the upcoming HTC Passion or the HD2, which Google had input on the design of.
The creatively dubbed “Google Phone” will be available next month, as an unlocked GSM device, and will be the first phone to run Android 2.1, which has so far only been tested by Google employees. The phone runs on a Snapdragon processor, has a “super high-resolution” OLED touchscreen, has two mics, no physical keypad, is thinner than the rival iPhone, and has a very large resolution camera. New visual enhancements include animated desktop wallpapers (such as water that ripples when you touch it), voice-to-text for every application, and other incredible features.
Adds one Tweet from member “Great White Shark”: “A friend from Google showed me the new Android 2.1 phone from HTC coming out in Jan. A sexy beast. Like an iPhone on beautifying steroids.”
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Result for: Hard
Due to its byline stipulations, beginning in December all Blu-ray titles will come with the option to make one “managed copy” (a legal backup).
However, for all current Blu-ray player owners as well as most near term future owners, your player will not have the capability to make the copies, making the feature useless.
AACS-LA chairman Michael Ayers says the Managed Copy is mandatory given the final AACS license and over 600 companies have signed on. Each new movie from December 4th on will come with a link on the disc which will send the player to an authentication server. If it passes, the disc can make a full 1080p copy of the disc. For now though, there are no players capable of making the copies so the links are useless.
Manufacturers are not required to even make such devices but Sony and other AACS-LA members say they expect the first PC drives with the capability to hit by the Q3 2010. The AACS-LA says they won’t even have authentication servers up and running until March 31st.
There are, of course, catches to the managed copy. Studios can choose to offer the managed copy instead of digital copies like most current discs have. The studios can also choose to charge for the backups, likely a nominal fee under $10 USD.
VideoBusiness adds that “Managed copies can be burned to recordable Blu-ray or DVD discs, as a download to a Windows Media DRM-compatible portable player or hard drive, on a memory stick, SD card or as a bound copy, such as a digital copy file on the disc.”
