iFixit

What is this? A Samsung K9LCG08U1M 8GB NAND Flash chip?

Why, yes it is. It's the same part we found during the iPad teardown! This is a pretty remarkable amount of storage for a $99 device.

We are pretty sure the Sammy is used to cache your favorite shows while they're being streamed.

But we wonder, "What else you could do with 8 GB of exploitable storage?"

Wi-Fi board brought to you courtesy of Panasonic! This may be the first time we've seen a Wi-Fi board from Panasonic in an Apple device. They usually provide optical drives for Apple's laptops.

Apple may have gone with an off-the-shelf commodity daughterboard to reduce costs.

The Broadcom BCM4329XKUBG 802.11n Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM chip on the Panasonic board is exactly the same as the one we found on the iPad.

The key marking of interest on the A4 processor package is K4X2G643GE. This is identical to the marking found on the iPad and 4th Generation iPod Touch, but different from the iPhone 4 processor.

The Apple TV has 256 MB RAM, the same as the iPad and 4th Gen iPod Touch. We weren't expecting Apple to bump up the RAM, but it's a bit of a relief for app developers that the amount hasn't been reduced.

The rest of the contenders:

• Apple 343S0479 1005 005BB
• M430 F2350 TI E03K C0GP G4 (16-bit microcontroller)
• SMSC 8710A-EZK B1023-A2 (10/100 Ethernet Transceiver)
• TXC MUGT 27.000
• TXCPCUM3 50.000

The board. It's difficult to see some of the chip information because the silkscreen came off along with the thermal pads.

Here's an idea of where all the chips reside in relation to one another:

Apple A4 Processor

Samsung NAND Flash

Empty spot for another Samsung NAND Flash???

Apple 338S0891

Broadcom BCM4329XKUBG

There goes the power supply...

The sticker on the power supply has this rating: 3.4V @ 1.75A

We'll save you the multiplication: that's just 5.95 watts! Is this the most eco-friendly set-top box ever?

Next comes out the status LED. Its current status: disconnected.

Apple brags that when in standby mode, the Apple TV uses less power than a night light. We don't suggest trying to use the status LED to illuminate your dark hallways, though.

Apple TV Repairability: 8 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair)

• Relatively easy to open case that can be easily reassembled.
• Separate power supply board that can be replaced independently of the logic board.
• Simple design - there's 6 pieces!
• Relatively common fasteners (Phillips and T6 Torx) found throughout.
• Thermal pads rather than thermal paste means no messy cleanup.
• Lots of expensive electronics housed on one singular board means that if one fries, the board is toast unless you can attempt or know how to do component level repair.

The ease of repairing this device, integrated high-efficiency power supply, low 6-watt power consumption, and efficient stand-by mode lead us to believe this may be the most eco-friendly set-top box of all time!