Days after launch of the Apple TV, the team at iFixit has dismantled the IPTV device, revealing some intriguing possibilities for future expansion.
The basic construction echoes its Apple-bred cousins - the iPad, the iPhone and the iPod touch – and uses the same Apple A4 chip, 256MB of RAM, the same Broadcom Wi-Fi chip, and 8GB of onboard flash memory.
However iFixit raised its metaphorical eyebrows at the inclusion of 8GB of onboard memory in a device that is designed primarily for streaming rather than storing any media.
“This is a pretty remarkable amount of storage for a $99 device,” iFixit said in its teardown report. “We are pretty sure the Samsung memory is used to cache your favourite shows while they're being streamed, but we wonder what else you could do with 8GB of exploitable storage."
With a potential jailbreak for the device already on the cards, hackers and developers will be eyeing this capacity, and the possibility of writing games or other apps for the device.
The potential for even more storage in an empty slot alongside the NAND chip also supports the rumour that Apple might be considering an App Store for the device.
The other notable discovery – apart from the fact the Apple TV would be easy to repair – was a solder pad at the edge of the logic board that iFixit pointed out was exactly the right size for Apple's standard 30-pin dock connector.
Whether this means future devices would be able to accommodate USB storage is a matter for speculation; although it would be popular with consumers it might cannibalise Apple's paid-for streaming services.
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