Editor’s note: Information from this teardown is supplied courtesy of TechInsights. Learn more about the Apple MacBook Air 15 teardown here.
Apple has cornered the market on smartphones and other portable gadgets but when it comes to corporate IT, it is one of the staples for companies looking for a long-term computer solution.
The Apple MacBook Air is an iteration of the more expensive MacBook designed for the consumer market. Those needing the power of the MacBook but not necessarily on a professional level for editing or photography.
The laptop has enough power through the Apple 64-bit octa-core applications processor and main LPDDR5 SDRAM memory to allow for editing for social media but at a price point that is far less than the full-scale model.
The following is a partial deep dive into the Apple MacBook Air 15 performed by TechInsights.
Summary
- 15.3 inch TFT chip-in-glass
- 8 GB mobile LPDDR5 SDRAM
- 2 MP BSI CMOS
Released: June 2023
Price: $1,444
Target market: Computing
Availability: Worldwide
Main board
The main board of the Apple MacBook Air laptop contains the brains of the computer with Apple’s 64-bit octa-core applications processor and multichip memory from SK Hynix. Other electronic components include:
- Texas Instruments’ LED backlight driver, USB Type-C controller and audio amplifiers
- Infineon’s USB repeater
- Apple’s Thunderbolt 4 retimer and power management devices
- Renesas’ programmable mixed signal arrays, battery chargers
- NXP Semiconductors’ NFC and secure element chip
- Analog Devices’ 10 A step-down DC-DC converter
- ST Microelectronics’ authentication IC
- GigaDevice’s serial flash memory
- Macronix’s serial flash memory
- Kioxia’s 256 GB 3D TLC NAND flash multichip memory
(Learn more about memory chips on Globalspec.com)
Interconnect board
The interconnect board inside the MacBook Air laptop features a host of electronic components from Texas instruments — like an LED backlight driver, boost converter, bus driver, LDO regulator and more — but also other devices include On Semi’s LED driver and Cirrus Logic’s audio codec.
(Learn more about audio ICs on Globalspec.com)
Touchpad board
The interconnect board contains many of the electronic components needed for operation of the laptop with sensors and discretes as well as a variety of memory systems. Specifically, the interconnect board has:
- Winbond’s 256 KB serial flash memory
- Bosch Sensortec’s three-axis MEMS accelerometer
- ST Microelectronics’ ARM 32-bit Cortex-M3 microcontroller
- Texas Instruments’ temperature sensor
- Analog Devices’ A/D converter
- Broadcom’s touchpad controller
- Nexperia’s single two-input AND gate
- SiTime’s MEMS TCXO
(Learn more about MEMS on Globalspec.com)
A look at many of the main components found on Apple’s MacBook Air 15 notebook. Source: TechInsights
Major components
- $128.87 — 64-bit octa-core applications processor — Apple (Qty: 1)
- $111.76 — 60 Hz display subsystem — LG (Qty: 1)
- $57.96 — Internal enclosure (Qty: 1)
- $49.15 — Top enclosure (Qty: 1)
- $37.52 —Touchpad subsystem (Qty: 1)
- $30.23 — Battery subsystem — Huizhou Desay Battery (Qty: 1)
- $29.84 — Bottom enclosure (Qty: 1)
- $28.21 — Multichip memory — 4 GB mobile LPDDR5 SDRAM — SK Hynix (Qty: 2)
- $19.36 — Logo plat (Qty: 1)
- $18.35 — Multichip memory — 256 GB 3D TLC NAND flash — Kioxia (Qty: 1)
