Apple iPad WiFi + 3G Teardown by iFixit with New Tricks

these SlashGear Apple iPad WiFi + 3G Teardown by iFixit with New Tricks May 1, 2010 at 3:42 PM 0 the latest model of the iPad, let's take a look at iFixit's teardown 0f the magical, revolutionary, & 3G-enabled tablet from Apple. While the majority 0f it shows the same old, same old (it is, after all, an iPad), there's a few tricks that Apple was obviously holding up their sleeve for just this moment. And, just as you can see from the speed test we ran, it looks like Apple may have hit this one out of the ballpark. As you may have already surmised, some of the major differences lie in the fact that the iPad WiFi + 3G has that 3G connectivity embedded within. Additionally, you also get some GPS functionality, which means you can take advantage of the navigation apps that will start making their way into th iPad App store. The most notable change, 1 of which you don't even need to open to see, is the plastic RF window at the top of the iPad, which optimizes the cellular connection, which provides a better antenna reception. When they got inside, they found there's actually five antenna's in the iPad. There's two that handle the actual cell reception: one in a LCD frame, and the other obviously under the black plastic RF window at the top. Apple has chosen to use the same 3G baseband processor in the iPad as they do in the iPhone 3GS. So Apple is obviously a fan of mounting multiple antennas, just as they mounted a wireless antenna to the frame of the optical drive in the new MacBook Pros, which is something we can agree with. Anything to better our WiFi signals. [via iFixit] Relevant Entries on SlashGear Apple A4 chip dissected by Chipworks: Cortex A8 in package "sandwich" $259.60 t0 build 16GB iPad reckon analysts iPod Touch – Stripped down to bare silicon Apple ARM acquisition rumored New MacBook Pro teardown reveals Core i5, modified chipsets, more iPad WiFi+3G unboxing May 1, 2010 at 3:18 PM Early adopters and the terminally impatient bought Apple's iPad WiFi when it debuted on April 3rd; was the sensible plan to wait until the iPad WiFi + 3G, which went on sale yesterday? It's too early to answer that question, but we have a 3G-enabled iPad in hand and an unboxing to share. More after the cut! Like the WiFi-only iPad there's not much in the box beyond the tablet itself: a power adapter, USB cable and some warranty documentation. There are to the integrated 3G visible on the iPad WiFi + 3G itself, however, most notably a section of black plastic on the top back panel, where the cellular antenna resides. There's also an iPhone-style SIM card slot with an AT&T microSIM already fitted in place. Loading up requires the same initial connection to iTunes, followed by a sync of whatever media and apps you've already acquired. As for the 3G setup, that's accessed via the settings page and allows you to sign up to either a 250MB plan or unlimited data plan (for $14.99 or $29.99 respectively) with a credit card, with no minimum contract. We already wish all new cellphone activations were this straightforward. Beyond that the first impressions of the iPad WiFi + 3G are pretty much in-line with what we've come to expect from the WiFi-only version, but we'll be putting it through its paces over the weekend and have more feedback next week. Hopefully by then we'll know the answer to the big question: is it really worth $120 more than the regular model? Initial speed benchmarket results are looking good! Make sure to check back next week for a more detailed speedtest. As for battery life, the iPad WiFi+3G use up roughly 5% of battery life per hour on 3G only mode. That's not bad at all! Unboxing iPad WiFi+3G Relevant Entries on SlashGear Apple iPad WiFi + 3G Teardown by iFixit Shows Some New Tricks Apple's highest-end $729 iPad costs less than $300 to make SlashGear Exclusive – Unboxing the iZ3D Gaming Monitor! MacBook Air Unboxing Ceremony iPad more likely to be purchased by current Apple owners This