Apple iPad 2 dissection in pictures: why has this beast proved so elusive?

An iPad 2 dozes peacefully at a waterhole, unaware that a hunter from ifixit.com is about to tear it apart. It has just mated with a Smart Cover (see tabs on lower right) and is sleeping, so it is unaware of the approaching predator. Photograph: ifixit.com/ifixit.com

Two sleeping iPads. On the left, an old iPad, identifiable by its bulk; right, the younger, thinner iPad 2, with the rounded case contouring. The bulkier, old iPad is significantly slower than its descendant, which has led to millions being hunted down and captured. The iPad 2 has proved far more elusive, with hunters sometimes waiting hours for a glimpse of one in its native habitat, an Apple Store. Photograph: ifixit.com

Startled, the iPad 2 turns round and displays its speaker outlet to the approaching iFixit dismantler. The speaker can emit noises to scare off approaching buyers, though this is rarely effective. While doing so it shows off its new 'model number' markings, which to our eyes read 'A1395'. Photograph: ifixit.com/ifixit.com

The iPad 2 is flipped over onto its back, rendering it helpless against iFixit's heat gun - the only simple way to remove its protective cover. (The new design precludes spudgers and sticks to lever the cover off, which will make healing - er, fixing - them difficult.) Photograph: ifixit.com/ifixit.com

The protective cover comes off, revealing the LCD screen underneath. Turn the volume down so you don't hear the iPad's screams of pain as its cells are exposed to the world. Photograph: ifixit.com/ifixit.com

iFixit's hunter-gatherer unscrews the LCD screen. Nothing can save the iPad now: soon its digestive and visual systems will come into view. Photograph: ifixit.com

The screen comes off to reveal the iPad 2's guts... er, battery: a 3.8V, 25 Watt-hour unit. (The original had a 24.8WH battery.) In essence, that's all the iPad species is: a screen and a battery. Photograph: ifixit.com/ifixit.com

iFixit dissects... er, disconnects the dock connector ribbon cable from the logic board. Photograph: ifixit.com/ifixit.com

The logic board is held in by a single Philips screw; notice the long tendrils... wires across the battery which feeds the rest of it. Photograph: ifixit.com/ifixit.com

The logic board: Broadcom BCM5973KFBGH and BCM5974CKFBGH controllers for the touch screen - the same combination as the original iPad, indicating that the species has evolved only a little. Photograph: ifixit.com/ifixit.com

The iPad's brain ("main logic board"), where sensory input ("touches") and visual input are processed and it responds by making patterns on the screen. It uses Apple's own 1GHz A5 dual-core processor with a 200MHz bus and 512 MB of Samsung manufactured RAM (marked in red). Also Apple's own 343S0542 - possibly the same as the Dialog Semi power management chip found in last year's iPad (ringed in yellow). Photograph: ifixit.com/ifixit.com

The rear-facing camera, which the iPad might use to detect potential captors. The fact that this newer model has initially proved so hard to capture suggests that this is a major evolutionary step. Though tiny, the camera adds substantially to complexity, compared to the original version. This had led some to suggest that it is evidence of intelligent design rather than pure evolution. Photograph: ifixit.com/ifixit.com

The iPad is helpless as, in a final dissection, its battery is prised off. Photograph: ifixit.com/ifixit.com

The iPad lies in its constituent parts, torn apart by the wild animals at iFixit. OK, could you put it back together now? Photograph: ifixit.com