MARKET RESEARCH firm iSuppli said it has looked at Apple's Intel iMac, dissected it, and come up with a bill of materials (BOM) for the unit.
The firm reckons the BOM for the machine amounts to $873, with an additional $25 to be added for test and manufacturing. The main amount excludes keyboard, mouse and documentation. Apple sells the low end version for $1,299, says iSuppli.
It does include the 17-inch LG Philips LCD panel, the X1600 graphics chip, the Maxtor 60GB S-ATA hard drive, and the Samsung DRAM.
The firm calculates the Intel Core Duo T2400 costs $265, the north bridge Intel 82945GM and the south bridge Intel NH82801GBMSL8YB $45, and the GDDR RAM $20.
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Apple Computer's hardware costs to create the new $1,299 dual-core Intel iMacs total about $898, according to analyst firm iSuppli, which released teardown results on Friday.
The firm opened up one of the new iMacs, which were officially announced at Apple's recent Macworld show, inventoried the contents, and came up with an estimated cost for the parts. The teardown did not include the mouse, keyboard, or other documentation included with the iMac, and not attempt to estimate Apple's cost of developing its operating system and related software.
What iSuppli discovered, however, is that Apple selected components typically found within an Intel-based notebook PC, to minimize power consumption and the noise generated by fans to cool them.
"Users want quiet and powerful machines," said Matthew Wilkins, senior analyst for compute platforms research for iSuppli, in a statement. "Intel is very focused on designing microprocessors that deliver the maximum performance without generating excessive heat or consuming huge amounts of power. For now, the Intel Core Duo fits that bill perfectly."
Not surprisingly, Intel's chips form the heart of the iMac, and the bulk of its cost. Inside the iMac, iSuppli found an Intel Core Duo T2400, which the firm estimated cost about $265 apiece. That, combined with the Intel 82945GM north bridge and related NH82801GBMSL8YB south bridge, added another $45 to the total.
On its web site, Intel advertises the Core Dup T2400 for $294, although those prices reflect a purchase of 1,000 processors at a time. The Apple volume discount ascribed to the iMac teardown would be an additional 11 percent.
The firm estimated that the included ATI Radeon X1600 graphics card cost approximately another $30, while the included 512 Mbytes of Samsung memory added another $20. iSuppli did not publicly break out the costs for the LG.Philips 17-inch LCD or the Maxtor DiamondMax 10 160-Gbyte SATA hard drive, leaving such details for its paying clients.
In addition, the iMac carries another $25 in test costs, the firm said.
The firm reckons the BOM for the machine amounts to $873, with an additional $25 to be added for test and manufacturing. The main amount excludes keyboard, mouse and documentation. Apple sells the low end version for $1,299, says iSuppli.
It does include the 17-inch LG Philips LCD panel, the X1600 graphics chip, the Maxtor 60GB S-ATA hard drive, and the Samsung DRAM.
The firm calculates the Intel Core Duo T2400 costs $265, the north bridge Intel 82945GM and the south bridge Intel NH82801GBMSL8YB $45, and the GDDR RAM $20.
Added :
Apple Computer's hardware costs to create the new $1,299 dual-core Intel iMacs total about $898, according to analyst firm iSuppli, which released teardown results on Friday.
The firm opened up one of the new iMacs, which were officially announced at Apple's recent Macworld show, inventoried the contents, and came up with an estimated cost for the parts. The teardown did not include the mouse, keyboard, or other documentation included with the iMac, and not attempt to estimate Apple's cost of developing its operating system and related software.
What iSuppli discovered, however, is that Apple selected components typically found within an Intel-based notebook PC, to minimize power consumption and the noise generated by fans to cool them.
"Users want quiet and powerful machines," said Matthew Wilkins, senior analyst for compute platforms research for iSuppli, in a statement. "Intel is very focused on designing microprocessors that deliver the maximum performance without generating excessive heat or consuming huge amounts of power. For now, the Intel Core Duo fits that bill perfectly."
Not surprisingly, Intel's chips form the heart of the iMac, and the bulk of its cost. Inside the iMac, iSuppli found an Intel Core Duo T2400, which the firm estimated cost about $265 apiece. That, combined with the Intel 82945GM north bridge and related NH82801GBMSL8YB south bridge, added another $45 to the total.
On its web site, Intel advertises the Core Dup T2400 for $294, although those prices reflect a purchase of 1,000 processors at a time. The Apple volume discount ascribed to the iMac teardown would be an additional 11 percent.
The firm estimated that the included ATI Radeon X1600 graphics card cost approximately another $30, while the included 512 Mbytes of Samsung memory added another $20. iSuppli did not publicly break out the costs for the LG.Philips 17-inch LCD or the Maxtor DiamondMax 10 160-Gbyte SATA hard drive, leaving such details for its paying clients.
In addition, the iMac carries another $25 in test costs, the firm said.