WebProNews

Tag: teardown

  • $550? There’s a Reason AirPods Max Cost So Much

    $550? There’s a Reason AirPods Max Cost So Much

    When Apple released the over-ear AirPods Max in December, the headphones came with a staggering $550 price tag. According to iFixIt, there’s a good reason.

    iFixIt is well known for its teardowns of popular tech. Whenever a device or gadget comes out, the site is quick to break it down to its component parts and give readers the low-down on what makes it tick

    The AirPods Max didn’t disappoint, with iFixIt’s teardown showing the sophistication of Apple’s most recent headphones.

    With all their intricate, precision-engineered parts, AirPods Max remind us more of a mechanical watch than of any pair of headphones

    There was no comparison between the AirPods Max and competitors.

    And after tearing down some of the competition, we’re more understanding of that $550 price tag. Sony and Bose both charge less, but internally, the AirPods Max’s obsessive craftsmanship makes those other extremely capable devices look like toys by comparison.

    Perhaps most significantly, these are also the first AirPods that are user serviceable, earning a score of 6 out of 10.

  • Motorola Razr Is a Nightmare to Repair

    Motorola Razr Is a Nightmare to Repair

    iFixit has done one of their famed teardowns of Motorola’s new folding Razr and one thing is clear: users needing repairs should let Motorola do them.

    Motorola’s Razr is the company’s re-entry into the premium phone market. While reminiscent of the iconic flip phone of the same name, the new Razr is reimagined with a folding touchscreen design running Android.

    iFixit has made a reputation tearing down new phones, tablets and computers, rating them based on how easy or difficult they are to repair. While Motorola’s phone may have an innovative design and aesthetic, it also has the distinction of earning iFixit’s lowest possible score for ease-of-repair.

    The phone did score a point for only requiring a T3 Torx to break it down, but that’s where it stopped scoring. The outer covers are glued on, replacing the batteries (yes multiple) requires almost complete disassembly, multiple flex cables get in the way and the charging port is soldered to the main board.

    iFixit summed it up by saying: “Motorola’s nostalgia-stoking Razr officially wins the award for most complicated phone-based contraption we’ve ever taken apart. We’re impressed with the numerous feats of engineering that Moto pulled off to resurrect their iconic clamshell.”

    Any users who need to replace the batteries or screen would do well to pay Motorola’s service fees. Whatever the company charges is a small price compared to the nightmare involved in cracking this phone open.

  • Google Glass Costs About $80 in Parts, Claims Teardown

    Google Glass, which has been sold for $1500 to all the early “Glass Explorers,” apparently costs about $80 in parts, if a preliminary teardown report is accurate.

    Teardown.com recently posted its Google Glass teardown results after just recently getting their hands on the device after Google’s one-day-only sale of the smart glasses earlier this month. And according to their breakdown, the components that make up Google Glass run the company $79.78. This includes a (kind of shockingly low) estimate of $3 for the display/glass, $1.14 for the battery, and $5.66 for the camera.

    If correct, this would mean that only about 5% of the total price of Google Glass is represented in component costs.

    A Google spokesman has responded to the report, telling the Wall Street Journal that teardown.com’s estimate is “absolutely wrong,” but that’s all they would say.

    Even teardown.com (a subsidiary of TechInsights) admits that their estimation is probably a little bit off. You see, this was a quick teardown–they’re currently working on a more thorough component pricing estimate.

    But an expert with the site told Ars Technica that he doesn’t think it’ll be too far off the $80 mark.

    “If I had to take a guess, I’d say somewhere between $90-95 is where it’ll end up at,” said Al Cowsky. “It could be a little lower, even.”

    Of course, even if Google was constructing Google Glass for less than $100 in parts, it doesn’t mean you can chalk the difference up in the profit column. This is simply a components report, and fails to factor in research and development costs, as well as manufacturing. Those costs are a lot more tricky to pin down than parts.

    But it does show that Google will probably be able to safely lower the price when Glass hits the wide market. $1,500 is a fine price for “Explorers”–those first adopters so eager to get their hands on the latest and greatest. But for your average person, who Google desperately needs to make Glass a true success, may have a hard time justifying a $1,500 pair of future goggles. If component costs are really that low, it’s easier to believe Google actually has plans to make Glass more affordable for the everyday consumer.

    But right now, it’s not about the average consumer–it’s still about the people willing to pay $1,500, the ones with supreme interest in wearable tech and the ability to be ambassadors. Let’s have a toast for the Glassholes.

    Image via lawrencegs, Flickr