iFixit loves to look inside Apple's latest products, and that's exactly what they did with the brand new seventh generation iPod nano. What they found were several Apple-designed chips and a media player that isn't all that easy to repair.
The seventh generation nano is bigger than the model it replaces and does away with the 30-pin dock connector in favor of Apple's new Lightning connector, just like the iPhone 5 and new iPod touch. The smaller connector takes up far less space on the outside of the nano, and frees up internal space for other components like Bluetooth controllers.
The new iPod nano is filled with Apple-designed chips
The new iPod nano includes built-in FM radio support, Bluetooth for wireless speaker connections, a larger touchscreen compared to the previous model, and a front mounted home button. Along with the usual flash memory chips and touchscreen controllers, iFixit found several Apple-designed chips.
Apple packed all of that into a 3.01-inch x 1.56-inch body that's only 0.21-inches thick, and weighs in at 1.1 ounces. In comparison, the sixth generation nano was 1.48-inches x 1.68-inches, 0.35-inches thick, and weighed 0.74 ounces.
The seventh generation model is somewhat repairable by a trained professional, but is still difficult to work on. The body is held together with screws and glue, connectors are soldered to the circuit board, and the battery is soldered in, too. On the upside, the LCD and digitizer glass aren't fused together, so they can be replaced individually instead of as a single unit.
"As in the iPod touch Fifth Generation, many of the important components—including the battery, Lightning connector, and volume controls—are soldered to the logic board," the iFixit team said.
iFixit gives the seventh generation iPod nano a 5 out of 10 on the repairability scale. That's better than the 3 the latest iPod touch earned, but not as good as the 7 for the iPhone 5.
You can check out the complete iPod nano teardown at the iFixit website.