Apple iPhone 4 Innards Exposed, Celebrated by iFixit

by Michelle Maisto

“The worlds most wanted device is now in the hands of the worlds foremost tinkerers!” iFixit wrote on it its site, where it displayed photos of the “tinkered with” iApple iPhone 4.

The repair site calls the design of the iPhone 4 a “drastic departure” from the aluminum- and plastic-based designs of its predecessors. It also noted that the rugged stainless steel bezels around the phone act as both structural supports and antennas to aid reception.

Increased battery life is a promised new feature with the iPhone 4. At left, iFixit engineers show off the Li-Polymer battery they pulled out—and which is expected to offer 7 hours of talk time over 3G, or up to 14 hours on AT&Ts 2G network.

The iPhone 4 appears to be all smoke and mirrors, as the display is separated from the frame. iFixit notes that the iPhones display panel is Corning Gorilla Glass, which is “20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic.” Its also highly resistant to wear.

At left, a member of the iFixit team pops out the larger of the iPhone 4s two cameras, the 5-megapixel model. The inclusion of a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera is meant to facilitate video calls.

Ignoring the warning signs, iFixit sets to work removing a connector for the logic board. iFixit

And the logic board is out. The pieces unusual shape and small size, notes the site, speaks to how valuable real estate is inside the slimmed-down iPhone 4.

The UMTS, GSM, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth antennas are integrated inside a stainless steel frame—a move that iFixit writes “can only be described as a work of genius.” It adds that Apple has also “tuned the phone” to defer to the least-congested network band, which should help with service issues on the AT&T network.

At left is Apples A4 processor, which was included in the iPad but is said to be more powerful in the iPhone 4, where its paired with multitasking capabilities. To the left of the A4 is the 3-axis gyroscope, which reportedly isnt commercially available yet. “Apple got dibs on it,” wrote iFixit.

Adios to the front-facing VGA camera.

Dont try this at home: At left, a final shot of the disemboweled Apple iPhone 4. The phone officially goes on sale June 24 at Apple, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Wal-Mart and AT&T locations and is of course for now exclusively available in the U.S. on the AT&T network.