剛剛上市的蘋果iPhone 4S智能手機儘管在一些方面有了明顯的提升，但是iSuppli卻根據拆解得出一個結論，那就是iPhone 4S的硬件製造成本仍然和前輩iPhone 4一樣。那麼，各位是否想知道你們血拼甚至有人真掏了2萬大洋買回來的iPhone 4S成本價值是多少呢？
IHS iSuppli通過拆解iPhone 4S的組成部件，給出了一份更為準確的iPhone 4S成本分析。其16GB版本的iPhone 4S手機成本估計約為188美元，這僅僅比去年拆解的iPhone 4工程機成本高出50美分。新版的iPhone 4S芯片組已經由被英特爾公司所收購的英飛凌轉向了由高通公司提供的雙模芯片，但是這對於iPhone 4S的蜂窩芯片組部分成本影響並不大，此部分的成本費用大約為14—15美元。
除了蜂窩通訊芯片的14-15美元之外，蘋果自主研發的A5芯片成本費也同為15美元。另外一項重要成本來自於iPhone 4S手機配備的800萬像素攝像頭，其成本費用大約為17.60美元，但是由於它缺乏一個明顯的攝像頭產商標誌，從而使得很難對它進行準確的估價，因此，17.60美元的成本費用是經過了多方討論後給出的一個大概估價。蘋果iPhone 4S智能手機的攝像頭很明顯是採用了索尼公司的圖像傳感器，但是整個攝像頭的製造可能是由蘋果的長期相機部件供應商大立光電（Largan Precision）來提供製造的。至於OmniVision公司，據稱由於產量供給不足，蘋果已經取消了和它的合作關係。
其他部分的供應商部件包括我們熟悉的AKM的電子羅盤、意法半導體(STMicro)的陀螺儀傳感器、德州儀器（TI）的音頻和触摸屏控制器，以及超群半導體(TriQuint)的無線信號發射器等等。其他成本有所削減部分還包括了通話過程當中的主動噪聲消除處理，此功能由一塊單獨芯片處理改為了由A5處理器集中處理可以節約一部分的成本。除此之外，雙核心A5處理器芯片的採用可能意味著集成處理解碼也將相對輕鬆，強大的CPU處理器對於智能手機是相當重要的。
和往常一樣，不同版本的iPhone 4S容量增加與成本增加並不直接成正比，比如說32GB版本的iPhone 4S成本約為207美元，而64GB版本的成本大概為245美元，而今年的蘋果公司已經將閃存存儲芯片採購轉向了使用海力士（Hynix）產品，此舉也是為了避免對三星公司過度依賴。
但是這個價格其實還不能完全反映手機在開發和銷售階段的實際成本，其實際成本應該比這個更高。蘋果公司在最近一期的財報電話會議裡指出，其手機產品從設計到銷售的整個過程毛利潤在40%左右，而在美國市場16GB版本的iPhone 4S裸機售價大概在649美元。
事實上蘋果的既定戰略目標已經註定了其在一些特定的零部件方面沒有太大的迴旋餘地，比如說擁有更高容量的RAM內存或是更大尺寸的觸摸屏。其成本選擇，比如說對應著199美元的合約價格，可能已經阻止了其在硬件方面擴展的能力。舉個簡單的例子，比如說HTC公司搶用了早期的LTE芯片組，從而導致Thun.derbolt霹靂智能手機的配件成本就已經高達262美元，因此其在Verizon渠道內的售價雖然定在更高的250美元，但是實際上廠商獲得的毛利潤仍然要低不少。
Please note that these teardown assessments are preliminary in nature, and account only for hardware costs and do not include other expenses such as software, licensing, royalties or other expenditures.
“While the iPhone 4S shares many common design elements with the two iPhone 4 models already on the market, the new device’s status as a world phone has resulted in fascinating design and component changes,” said Andrew Rassweiler, senior director, teardown services, for IHS. “Key among these changes is a custom part from Avago that helps give the iPhone 4S its unique capability to be used in multiple wireless systems globally, while still keeping costs down. In another surprise development, the 4S employs a Hynix NAND flash memory device. While IHS has already confirmed multiple suppliers for this part, it does mark the first time that IHS has identified a Hynix NAND flash in an iPhone, as opposed to devices from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. or Toshiba Corp. seen in all previous iPhone and iPad teardowns.”
Change is in the Air
The wireless section of the iPhone 4S brings a significant upgrade in capabilities compared to previous members of the iPhone line, employing a dual-mode design that supports air standards for all wireless service partners supported by Apple worldwide. This represents a unique design approach compared to that used by most cell phone makers, which use different models with unique wireless subsystems to support various wireless carriers’ standards. It also represents a major upgrade from the iPhone 4, which used two separate versions to support the high-speed packet access (HSPA) and code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless networks.
Enter the Avago
A critical component enabling the worldwide capability of iPhone 4S is the ACPM-7181 converged power amplifier module (PAM) from the previously unheralded supplier Avago.
A PAM is a device that amplifies a radio signal prior to transmission. What makes the converged Avago part unique is its capability to support both 2G and 3G cellular technologies across multiple bands thus reducing the number of components and PC board footprint required. While Avago is by no means the only company supplying these types of devices, it is the first to be implemented by Apple.
“Avago’s ACPM-7181 is a unique and valuable part in the iPhone 4S wireless subsystem, representing a truly converged power amplifier that can be used across global wireless systems,” Rassweiler said. “This custom device merges the functionality previously implemented in three separate components in the HSPA iPhone 4 model: the two Skyworks Solutions Inc. PAMs and one TriQuint Semiconductor Inc. PAM. This is a very special converged approach that gives Apple a real technology lead over most other manufacturers, further reducing the complexity of the radio frequency/power amplifier (RF/PA) section of the iPhone line beyond Apple’s already highly-integrated design.”
Beyond benefitting Apple, the iPhone design win also may turn out to be a major boon for Avago.
“Avago presently is ranked as a second-tier supplier well behind leading power amplifier suppliers such as Skyworks, RFMD and TriQuint,” said Francis Sideco, senior principal analyst, wireless communications for IHS. “However, with the inclusion of its custom PAM in the highly popular iPhone line, Avago now is going to be in contention to become a first-tier supplier.”
Qualcomm Scores a Win
Another key device enabling the global wireless capability of the iPhone 4S is the MDM6610 baseband processor from Qualcomm Inc.
“Qualcomm obviously is a big winner in the 4S, with company now taking sole ownership of the baseband processor position with its MDM6610 device,” said Wayne Lam, senior analyst, wireless communications for IHS. “While the Qualcomm MDM6600 was in the CDMA version of the iPhone 4, the Intel (formerly Infineon Technologies AG) PMB9801 was used in the HSPA model. In the iPhone 4S, Qualcomm no longer has to share the iPhone 4 baseband design win with Intel. It will be interesting to see how Intel responds in terms of winning back this socket in the next design cycle.”
Hynix Makes a Surprise Appearance
In the individual iPhone 4S torn down by IHS, the NAND flash was supplied by South Korean memory manufacturer Hynix. This represents a major design win for the company, with the NAND device accounting for a major portion of the value of the iPhone 4S. Toshiba has also been positively identified as a second source for the NAND in other iPhone 4S samples.
In the 16GB version of the 4S, the memory subsystem costs $19.20, making it the second most expensive single component after the display. However, the cost of the NAND rises to $38.40 in the 32GB version and to $76.80 in the 64GB model, making it the most expensive set of components in the system.
Other Innovations
Other new components in the iPhone 4S include the use of a dual core A5 apps processor. Just as with the A4 used in iPhone 4, the part appears to be manufactured by Samsung, based on die markings on the product.
In another change, the camera module in the iPhone 4S features an 8 megapixel camera, compared to a 5 megapixel device used in the iPhone 4. The camera uses a backside illumination (BSI) image sensor that improves photo quality, especially in low light, but also adds cost to the system. Sony was the supplier of the image sensor in the individual model torn down by IHS, but Apple likely is using a secondary source for this device: OmniVision.
Design Leftovers
While there are changes, the iPhone 4S maintains many of the same design elements and components as the iPhone 4 models.
One major area that has remained the same is the display and touch screen section, which together represent the single most expensive subsystem in the iPhone 4S.
Other components that were more or less unchanged include the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/Frequency Modulation (FM) module from Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. and Broadcom Corp. and the audio codec from Cirrus Logic Inc.
來源iSuppli:http://www.isuppli.com/Teardowns/News/Pages/iPhone-4S-Carries-BOM-of-$188,-IHS-iSuppli-Teardown-Analysis-Reveals.aspx
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