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Watch: First Apple Watch teardown reveals an incredible piece of engineering

Published Apr 24th, 2015 11:05AM EDT

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It’s the Apple Watch’s official launch day and it wouldn’t be the launch of a new Apple gadget without the folks at iFixit cracking it open and seeing what’s inside. They didn’t disappoint us on Friday and have already posted a terrific new video that shows you the remarkable engineering that went into Apple’s first wearable computer.

FROM EARLIER: How to use all of the Apple Watch’s cool new features

So what did iFixit find? Here are the highlights:

  • The watch comes with a 205mAh battery, which is actually smaller than the batteries found in devices like the Moto 360. iFixit theorizes that Apple’s Watch OS may be more power efficient than Android Wear, which means you shouldn’t panic because the Apple Watch has a smaller battery.
  • The solid-state S1 SiP really can’t be removed without suffering permanent damage since it’s encased in resin. In other words, it looks like upgrading your Apple Watch’s SiP is just not going to be possible when future Watch processors come out.
  • From the looks of it, it seems that the heart rate monitor in the device can actually take your blood oxygen level as well, although Apple has never claimed it had any such capabilities. iFixit speculates that this might be due to FDA regulations.
  • And yes, the Apple Watch contains the smallest screws iFixit has ever encountered. At one point they have to actually file down their smallest screwdriver to make it a proper fit

All told, the video shows the incredible engineering it takes to pack all this computing power into such a tiny device. Check it out below.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.