Apple's refreshed, entry-evel 21.5-inch iMac desktop has been given the teardown treatment, revealing that its standard-resolution display was manufactured by LG Display, while the Wi-Fi antenna design has been slightly tweaked [corrected].
Update: This story has been updated to correct the fact that the teardown is of Apple's entry-level, non-Retina 21.5-inch iMac. Apple also offers a different model with an identical external design, but a high-resolution Retina 4K display.
The dissection of Apple's new iMac was performed, as usual, by the repair experts at iFixit, who took apart the updated version. It's identified as the same model, A1418, but it has a new EMC number of 2889.
Like other iMac panels, the smaller 21.5-inch non-Retina panel is also manufactured by Apple partner LG Display.
Inside, the 21.5-inch iMac looks largely identical to its predecessor, but there are a handful of noteworthy changes. For instance, the hybrid Fusion Drive has a significantly smaller flash partition than the previous generation, iFixit found.
In another small change, the antenna cables are fastened to the AirPort card via screw-secured cable clamps. The AirPort card itself is the same as the 2013 model.
Intel is obviously responsible for both the iMac's processor and its Thunderbolt 2 controller, while Broadcom is the manufacturer of the gigabit Ethernet controller, and Cirrus Logic handles the system's audio controller. Other suppliers include Texas Instruments, Adesto, National Semiconductor, Intersil, Macronix, and Vimicro.
Another unchanged part of the 21.5-inch iMac's design: The Samsung-manufactured RAM is still soldered to the logic board, meaning users cannot upgrade their RAM from what they initially purchase. This stands in contrast to Apple's 27-inch iMac, of which the latest model can be upgraded to 64 gigabytes of RAM.
The lack of upgradeable RAM, along with the CPU being soldered to the logic board, and the device's glass panel being fused to the Retina display LCD, all have led iFixit to give the 21.5-inch iMac a "repairability score" of 1 out of 10, meaning it is nearly impossible to repair.
55 Comments
Planned obsolescence?
[quote name="AppeX" url="/t/189453/teardown-of-apples-new-21-5-imac-finds-lg-built-4k-retina-display-soldered-non-upgradeable-ram#post_2791499"]Planned obsolescence? [/quote] Quit with the conspiracy theories. Most consumers will never upgrade their machines after purchase. By the time something does go wrong, the tech has evolved enough to where it's better to just buy a new one. Simple fact. Nothing to read here. Move along.
Most consumers will never upgrade their machines after purchase. By the time something does go wrong, the tech has evolved enough to where it's better to just buy a new one. Simple fact.
Nothing to read here. Move along.
Simply not true. The imac 21 users won't be upgrading though.
I have upgraded my ram in my last two imacs, as well as the ram in my last two macbook pro's. Pretty much every user I know has upgraded ram after three years.
RAM and HD/SSD upgrades are rather common...
Most consumers will never upgrade their machines after purchase. By the time something does go wrong, the tech has evolved enough to where it's better to just buy a new one. Simple fact.
Nothing to read here. Move along.
How does that work out?:
Apple advices you to have 32GB of RAM while the maximum you could have with the 21.5 inch iMac is 16GB of RAM From the Apple website:
"The 2TB and 3TB Fusion Drives pair a larger hard drive with 128GB of fast flash storage, providing even more space for your most frequently used files. For the best performance, iMac systems with 32GB of memory should be configured with a 2TB or larger Fusion Drive or all flash storage."