Apple TV teardown finds 8GB of storage, 256MB of RAM

A look inside the newly released Apple TV has discovered that the device, powered by Apple's custom A4 processor, includes a small 8GB of onboard storage and the same 256MB of RAM found in the iPad and fourth-generation iPod touch.

iFixit wasted no time digging inside Apple's set top box upgrade Wednesday, and offers a peek inside the hardware, which is a quarter the size of its predecessor. Inside, they found its limited storage capacity, much smaller than its predecessor due to the streaming-centric nature of the new Apple TV.

The new Apple TV uses a Samsung K9LCG08U1M 8GB NAND Flash chip, which is the same part found during the site's iPad teardown. The memory is likely used to cache content that is being streamed.

"This is a pretty remarkable amount of storage for a $99 device," the solutions provider wrote.

Interestingly, logic board on the hardware shows solder pads that would fit an iPod 30-pin dock connector, perhaps implying what could come in future versions of the hardware.

"This Apple TV seems to be a couple of connectors shy of a full-on computer," they wrote. "Perhaps this logic board will be used in future iPads?"

Other findings from the teardown:

The A4 processor is marked K4X2G643GE, which is identical to the processor found in the first-generation iPad and fourth-generation iPod touch. The iPhone 4, however, has a different chip with 512MB of onboard RAM.

The internal Wi-Fi board is from Panasonic, which might be the first time the company has supplied a Wi-Fi board for an Apple device. Panasonic is, however, usually responsible for optical drives in the Mac maker's notebooks.
The Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chip is the same part found inside the iPad: BCM4329XKUBG 802.11n. It also includes an FM radio, which is not used by the device.

iFixit graded the new Apple TV with a score of 8 out of possible 10 for ease of repairability. The one mark against it is that the electronics are housed on one singular board.