FACTBOX: Components of Apple's iPhone
(Reuters) - Apple Inc.'s iPhone is finally out, and analysts immediately set about taking the device apart to see which companies are supplying its components.
Following are some of the key parts and their makers that have been identified so far:
-- South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. makes the main processor as well as the flash memory chips and DRAM memory chips that store music, photos and other user data, giving it $76.25 worth of semiconductor content in each 8-gigabyte iPhone ***
-- The processor is based on an architecture licensed from Britain's ARM Holdings Plc **
-- Germany's Balda, in association with its partner TPK Holding of China, supplies the display module, which costs about $27 ***
-- Epson, Sharp and Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology supply the touch-screen display, which costs about $24.50 ***
-- Germany's Infineon Technologies supplies the phone's transceiver, baseband processor and power-management devices. Total cost of Infineon components: $15.25 ***
-- Britain's Wolfson Microelectronics Plc makes the audio processing chip. Wolfson already supplies audio chips for Apple's popular iPods *
-- U.S.-based Marvell Technology Group Ltd. makes the Wi-Fi chip that allows the iPhone to connect to the Internet wirelessly and costs $6.00 ***
-- Skyworks Solutions Inc. supplies the cellular network power amplifier *
-- Britain's CSR Plc makes the Bluetooth chip that supports wireless accessories such as microphones and costs
$1.90 ***
-- Linear Technology Corp. supplies the USB battery charger, a part also used in iPods **
-- Broadcom Corp., privately held NXP Semiconductors and National Semiconductor Inc. make components to support the touch screen. ** National's chip that connects the display to the graphics controller costs $1.50 ***
-- Micron Technology Inc. makes the 2-megapixel image sensor for the iPhone's camera **
-- Other components were supplied by Texas Instruments Inc., Europe's STMicroelectronics, Silicon Storage Technology Inc. and RF Microdevices Inc. **
* From iFixit, a Web site offering parts and self-repair guides for iPods and Macintosh computers. The company, which has conducted similar "tear downs" on other Apple products, posted step-by-step photos of the process on its Web site at: www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone.
** From Portelligent Inc., a technology analysis firm that specializes in product tear downs.
*** From iSuppli, a technology market research firm. ISuppli calculates that each 8-gigabyte iPhone, which retails for $599, costs 265.83 to build, including hardware and manufacturing. ISuppli analyst Tina Teng estimates 4.5 million iPhones will be shipped this year, rising to more than 30 million by 2011.
