What exactly is making the Apple Watch tick? The good folks over at iFixit have answered that burning question for us by taking apart one of Apple’s new devices. They discovered that the screen and battery are fairly easy to remove but the watch’s S1 integrated computer chip, which Apple has disclosed little information about, is harder to wrench loose. Below the chip, there are hints of new health features that Apple may yet implement in the watch if they receive regulatory approval. Check out the full breakdown of the Apple Watch in the pictures above.
The display is carefully removed, revealing the innards of the Apple Watch
iFixitA plastic tool is used to remove the device’s battery. The Apple Watch sports a 3.8 V, 0.78 Wh lithium-ion battery, which has a life of about 18 hours for general use before needing a recharge
iFixitThe Taptic Engine is the tiny motor that provides force feedback whenever the watchface is pressed or when the user receives a notification. Here, we see that it is attached to the Apple Watch’s speaker
iFixitThe antenna assembly is removed, which likely controls the watch’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality
iFixit Removing the digital crown bracket is the final step before having access to the Apple Watch’s integrated computer chip, the S1iFixitDeep in the Apple Watch’s casing is the S1, the integrated computer chip that gives the device its smarts. It’s extremely difficult to removeiFixitAt the bottom of the watch case lies the plethysmograph that serves as the Apple Watch’s heart rate monitor. The device may also be able to measure a user’s blood oxygen level, but Apple hasn’t promoted this feature, possibly due to FDA regulations
iFixitThe separate components of the Apple WatchiFixit
