Soon after the Apple iPhone finally went on sale last Friday, gadget fans were busy opening the box , testing it , taking it apart and posting their thoughts online.
Not content with making sure the sleek iPhone worked properly, plenty of people couldn't wait to see just what went into, and who makes the components inside the Apple iPhone.
There had been rumours that the Apple iPhone would be very fragile, especially considering its large screens. But tests by PC World magazine show that the Apple iPhone can handle most challenges, and seems very durable.
Scratched, dropped - but still working
The Apple iPhone went through two main tests; the scratch test and the drop test (see video here ). The device was put in a bag alongside a set of keys to see how scratch-resistant its screen is. Even when the keys were scratched along the screen, there were no marks. Impressive.
The Apple iPhone also survived being dropped onto a carpet and a stone floor without suffering any damage. It was dropped from head height onto a concrete pavement as well - again without any major problems. Some scratches appeared on the edge of the iPhone, but nothing the screen remained unmarked and the device worked fine afterwards.
A video of two guys smashing up the Apple iPhone was the 13th most watched clip on YouTube yesterday.
Construction
So what about the construction of the iPhone? Apple has used no less than 16 screws to make sure the iPhone is durable and tight - compared to just three in the Apple iPod nano - iFixIt discovered when disassembling the device just 45 minutes after it was released.
Inside a 512MB SDRAM can be located, alongside the 3.7V rechargeable lithium ion battery. iFixIt also found that you'll need new earphones to listen to your music on the iPhone; Apple has recessed the headphone jack into the case.
As for the Apple iPhone's components, reports found that Toshiba Matsushita Display made the glass display, while Sharp has also contributed to the screens. The touch-screen - the film that is bonded to the glass, - is made by TPK (which is partially owned by German company Balda), Optrex and Optera. Indium tin oxide, a transparent conductor, is adhered to the film.
Patents
Apple's patents on its multi-touch technology allows for 15 distinct objects (fingers, pointers, pens) to control the Apple iPhone at once. The touch-screen manufacturers will make a lot of money on the iPhone through Apple, but they can't put the innovative technology in devices from any other company.
The main processor and memory chips are made by Samsung Electronics , the audio-processing chip by British firm Wolfson Microelectronics , and the Wi-Fi wireless chip came from Marvell Technology Group .
The Apple iPhone has been selling like hotcakes , so the current waiting time to get one from the online US Apple Store is around 2-4 weeks, Apple said. It has published an 118-page-long guide to the Apple iPhone , if you still haven't had enough of reading about this year's most sought-after device.
