iPod Touch more advanced than iPhone, sorta

El Segundo (CA) – Despite the fact that the iPod Touch looks just like an iPhone at first sight, iSuppli found that the PMP integrates unique components that make it a more modern device than the fancy iPhone.

According to the market research firm’s most recent teardown analysis, the iPod Touch and iPhone designs have a “90% commonality in terms of components”, but the Touch uses several new components to allow for a more compact design and more memory capacity. iSuppli said that that it found an advanced type WLAN module packaging, a single Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design instead of the iPhone’s modular two-PCB design as well as an integration of touch-screen circuitry on the main PCB – and not on the touch-screen module.

“Apple products always seem to push the envelope in terms of space savings, and therefore we often first see the newest, most-compact components in Apple products,” said Andrew Rassweiler, an analyst at iSuppli.

Apple, however, is not departing from its business model. As before, the retail price of the device is about twice the bill of materials (BoM). iSuppli estimates that the BoM of the 8 GB iPod Touch is about $155.04, including manufacturing and testing. The device retails for $299. The most expensive components of the PMP are the flash memory (estimated at $40), the 3.5” display ($21.99), the touchscreen integration assembly ($21.70), as well as the ARM-based applications processor ($13.19).