Product teardown
Encyclopedia
A product teardown, or simply teardown, is the act of disassembling a product, such as a television set, to identify its component parts and functions. For products having secret technology, such as the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25
, the process may be secret. For others, including consumer electronics
, the results are typically disseminated through photographs and component lists so that others can make use of the information without having to disassemble the product themselves.
This information can be of interest to hobbyists, but can also be used commercially by the technical community to find out, for example, what semiconductor components are being utilized in consumer electronic products, such as the Wii
video game console or Apple's iPhone
. Such knowledge can aid understanding of how the product works, including innovative design features, and can facilitate estimating the bill of materials
(BOM). The financial community therefore has an interest in teardowns, as knowing how a company's products are built can help guide a stock valuation. Manufacturers are often not allowed to announce what components are present in a product due to non-disclosure agreement
s (NDA).
Identifying semiconductor components in systems has become more difficult over the past years. The most notable change started with Apple's 8GB iPod nano, were repackaged with Apple branding. This makes it more difficult to identify the actual device manufacturer and function of the component without performing a 'decap' – removing the outer packaging to analyze the die within
. Typically there are markings on the die inside the package that can lead experienced engineers to who actually created the device and what functionality it performs in the system.
Teardowns have also been performed in front of a live studio audience at the Embedded Systems Conference
(ESC). The first live teardown was performed on a Toyota Prius at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, April 2006. Since that time, additional live teardowns have been performed, most recently being the Sony OLED TV, Gibson Self-Tuning Guitar, SuitSat
space suit, and Sony Rolly MP3 player.
Major companies that publicize their teardowns include Portelligent and Semiconductor Insights, both of which write featured articles in EETimes and TechOnline on their findings. Both companies were acquired by TechInsights, a division of United Business Media
in 2007. While Semiconductor Insights still remains focused on their other business opportunities, their teardown services, as well as Portelligent, are now part of TechOnline, which is a subgroup of United Business Media's TechInsights division. There also appear to be three main authors from these companies that write the articles. David Carey, President for Portelligent, Jeff Brown, Senior Analyst for Portelligent, and Gregory A. Quirk, Technical Marketing Manager for TechOnline.
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that was among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. Designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau the first prototype flew in 1964 with entry into service in 1970...
, the process may be secret. For others, including consumer electronics
Consumer electronics
Consumer electronics are electronic equipment intended for everyday use, most often in entertainment, communications and office productivity. Radio broadcasting in the early 20th century brought the first major consumer product, the broadcast receiver...
, the results are typically disseminated through photographs and component lists so that others can make use of the information without having to disassemble the product themselves.
This information can be of interest to hobbyists, but can also be used commercially by the technical community to find out, for example, what semiconductor components are being utilized in consumer electronic products, such as the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
video game console or Apple's iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
. Such knowledge can aid understanding of how the product works, including innovative design features, and can facilitate estimating the bill of materials
Bill of materials
A bill of materials is a list of the raw materials, sub-assemblies, intermediate assemblies, sub-components, components, parts and the quantities of each needed to manufacture an end product...
(BOM). The financial community therefore has an interest in teardowns, as knowing how a company's products are built can help guide a stock valuation. Manufacturers are often not allowed to announce what components are present in a product due to non-disclosure agreement
Non-disclosure agreement
A non-disclosure agreement , also known as a confidentiality agreement , confidential disclosure agreement , proprietary information agreement , or secrecy agreement, is a legal contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties...
s (NDA).
Identifying semiconductor components in systems has become more difficult over the past years. The most notable change started with Apple's 8GB iPod nano, were repackaged with Apple branding. This makes it more difficult to identify the actual device manufacturer and function of the component without performing a 'decap' – removing the outer packaging to analyze the die within
Die (integrated circuit)
A die in the context of integrated circuits is a small block of semiconducting material, on which a given functional circuit is fabricated.Typically, integrated circuits are produced in large batches on a single wafer of electronic-grade silicon or other semiconductor through processes such as...
. Typically there are markings on the die inside the package that can lead experienced engineers to who actually created the device and what functionality it performs in the system.
Teardowns have also been performed in front of a live studio audience at the Embedded Systems Conference
Embedded Systems Conference
The Embedded Systems Conference is a conference and expo that takes place in six locations around the world. ESC is the largest gathering for System Architects and Design Engineers, focusing on networking, innovation and training...
(ESC). The first live teardown was performed on a Toyota Prius at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, April 2006. Since that time, additional live teardowns have been performed, most recently being the Sony OLED TV, Gibson Self-Tuning Guitar, SuitSat
SuitSat
SuitSat is a retired Russian Orlan spacesuit with a radio transmitter mounted on its helmet. SuitSat-1 was deployed in an ephemeral orbit around the Earth on February 3, 2006...
space suit, and Sony Rolly MP3 player.
Major companies that publicize their teardowns include Portelligent and Semiconductor Insights, both of which write featured articles in EETimes and TechOnline on their findings. Both companies were acquired by TechInsights, a division of United Business Media
United Business Media
UBM plc is a magazine publisher, news distributor and events organiser providing business information services principally to the technology, healthcare, media, automotive and financial services industries...
in 2007. While Semiconductor Insights still remains focused on their other business opportunities, their teardown services, as well as Portelligent, are now part of TechOnline, which is a subgroup of United Business Media's TechInsights division. There also appear to be three main authors from these companies that write the articles. David Carey, President for Portelligent, Jeff Brown, Senior Analyst for Portelligent, and Gregory A. Quirk, Technical Marketing Manager for TechOnline.
External links
- http://www.teardown.com/
- http://www.techonline.com/