Microsoft Zune HD Teardown
Introduction
| Time required: | A competent individual should have it apart in less than 10 hours. |
|---|---|
| Author: | Walter Galan |
Lookee here what we got our hands on today! None other than a brand new Zune HD from Microsoft.
Want up-to-the-minute updates? Follow @ifixit on twitter.
You can also check out our Zune HD teardown video!
Tools used in this guide
Teardown
Teardowns provide a look inside a device and should not be used as disassembly instructions.
Featured Guide
This guide has been found to be exceptionally cool by the iFixit staff.
Paginated Single Page Steps
Step 1
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Microsoft Zune HD Teardown
We got our hands on a brand new Zune HD. It's a very pretty device, but that will not spare it from the knife.
Sparing no expense, we got the 32 GB "Platinum" model. However, it seems you need to spend an additional $90 if you want to get HD out of the Zune HD...
To Microsoft's credit, our 32 GB Zune was $10 less than the 32 GB iPod touch we took apart last week. However, if you want more than 32 GB in your Zune, you're out of luck for now.
Step 2
The Zune features a 3.3 inch OLED display and capacitive touch screen. OLED screens do not require a backlight like traditional LCDs. This means they can draw significantly less power than a traditional LCD. This isn't the first product with an OLED, but it's certainly cutting-edge technology, and something we haven't seen in any Apple devices yet.
The Zune's OLED features a resolution of 480x272, a 16:9 aspect ratio. Microsoft clearly wants you to watch movies on the Zune.
Microsoft claims the Zune's battery provides 8.5 hours video playback. That's long enough that your eyes should be worn out long before the battery.
Step 3
Why hello there? What's your name beautiful? You're a very pretty device.
Zune says "Hello." We say "Hello." back. Very cordial, this Zune is.
The Zune is lighter than it looks. It weighs in at only 2.6 oz (74 grams). That's more than 35% less than the similarly-sized iPod touch.
Microsoft even left us a message! (picture 3). Hello to you Seattle from San Luis Obispo!
The Zune HD is 102.1 mm x 52.7 mm x 8.9 mm, while the iPod touch is 110 mm x 61.8 mm x 8.5 mm. If the iPod touch were square, it would have 20% more volume than the Zune. We could integrate to calculate the area under those curves, but we'll save that fun stuff for you mathletes out there.
Step 4
Unlike Apple, Microsoft doesn't seem to be afraid to show off their screws. They probably don't want everyone doing what we're about to do, so they've adorned the Zune's exterior with tri-wing screws.
The black plasic strip at the bottom of the Zune reminds us of the original iPhone.
Step 5
Tri-wing screwdriver to the rescue!
There's no "warranty void" sticker or seal to break when opening the Zune. Thanks Microsoft!
Step 6
Opening the lovely device...
This is a lot easier than opening the iPod touch.
Yes, Apple, we're talking to you. Apparently it is possible to make something both pretty and serviceable at the same time...
Step 7
A tribute to a Zune team member who passed away during development. May she rest in peace.
Step 8
The lovely internals.
NVIDIA Tegra processor front and center. In a stark contrast to Apple's relationship with Samsung, NVIDIA's product page actually has a link to buy the Zune HD.
To the right is the SiPORT HD Radio receiver. This chip supports AM, FM, HD Radio, Microsoft MSN Direct Data Services, and a slew of other frequencies (including the Weather Band).
The SDRAM is Hynix! H5MS1G22MFP J3M 926A. In the upper left, is a 1 gigabit Hynix Mobile DDR SDRAM.
The accelerometer is below the Hynix SDRAM and to the left of the Nvidia processor. It's a Kionix KXSD9.
iFixit Staff
Nice teardown!
is there any sign of voided warranty? in other words, does Microsoft mind if you change the battery?
iFixit Staff
No sir -- no trace of any "Do Not Remove" or "Warranty Void if Removed" stickers.
One of the Zune project team members was said to have passed away during the HD's development... It's a tribute to her memory... Very nice, I thought!
iFixit Staff
Very nice of them indeed! We'll update the text to reflect that kind gesture.
This is a message for one of the Zune Team Members who passed away.
I see the back is machined out of a piece of aluminum....
It looks much nicer than the original
This is a costlier and slower manufacture process than moding and press
does this have 1gb ram :o?
ipod touch 3g only has 256?
1Gbit = 128MB.