iFixit

Confirming our suspicions, the Lightning connector/headphone jack/microphone ribbon cable is indeed soldered to the logic board.

This is just another example of how Apple is simplifying and grouping the components in its products. Unfortunately, in doing so, it's inadvertently putting an end to repairability.

• We can't suss out the reason behind the shape of this ribbon cable. Perhaps Apple put it there for sh*ts and wiggles?

The backside of the logic board.

Our case rests, just an empty shell of what it used to be.

This was a great chance for us to take a closer look at the inside of the loop post.

• The squared-off edges got us excited about unscrewing the post from the rear case, but we were disappointed when it just spun in place, suggesting a pressed fit.

Snuggled away under the lower left corner of the Lightning connector, we find the Apple 338S1077 Cirrus audio codec. This is the same audio codec found in the iPhone 5.

The long, winding ribbon cable road ends at the Lightning dock.

Fortunately, this Apple proprietary technology has been cloned just in time for the release of the iPod. Accessories are soon to follow.

The iPod Touch finally shows us what's up its sleeve:

• Apple A5 dual-core processor, with 4 Gb (512 MB) of Mobile DDR2 RAM, denoted by the H9TKNNN4KDBRCR silkscreen label on the A5
• Toshiba THGBX2G8D4JLA01 256 Gb (32 GB) NAND flash
• Apple 3381064 dialog power management IC (similar to the Apple 338S1131)
• Murata 339S0171 Wi-Fi module
• Broadcom BCM5976 touchscreen controller
• Apple 338S1116 is unknown at this time (although it bears a striking resemblance to the Apple 338S1117 found in the iPhone 5)
• STMicroelectronics low-power, three-axis gyroscope (AGD3/2229/E5GEK)

More tricks:

• Texas Instruments 27AZ5R1 touchscreen SoC
• STMicroelectronics 2226 DSH CKBEV
• NXP Semiconductors 1608A1

iPod Touch 5th Generation Repairability: 3 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair).

While very difficult, opening the case and replacing components is not impossible.

The battery is flanked by notches that make prying it out of the rear case fairly easy.

Many components are soldered together, requiring either a very difficult or very expensive repair if any one part breaks.

The Touch has no external screws. Instead, a combo of clips and adhesive makes it difficult to open the case.

Cables connected to the logic board run over the top and connect on the bottom, making it difficult to remove the board or disconnect the cables.