El Segundo, Calif. – Apple’s (NASD: AAPL) $99 second-generation Apple TV
device carries a bill of materials of $61.98, and with manufacturing figured in costs the company a total of $63.95 to produce, according to a
teardown analysis by iSuppli. "The first Apple TV was built like a net top
computer. The architecture was basically a stripped down, small-form-factor
desktop PC," said iSuppli analyst Andrew Rassweiler. "The second
generation Apple TV is more like an iPad or iPod Touch with no display."
"The
Apple TV’s A4 processor core, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chip and power management chip
are the same building blocks used in the, iPad, iPhone 4 and iPod Touch."
The firm said the new model "offers a dramatically improved ratio of hardware
cost to retail price."
Rassweiler also praised the Apple TV remove control,
which "appears to machined from a solid piece of aluminum."
"Because
of this, the electronics of the device must be slid in through small holes on
the side, similar to putting a ship in a bottle. It’s a clever and a
detail-oriented piece of design that makes the remote very pricey and very
unique to Apple."
Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/2bu9ut2
http://www.apple.com/appletv
