Apple Watch Teardown: Don't Expect Easy Processor Upgrades

Replace the screen? Check. Swap out the battery? Check. But if customers have plans to upgrade the processor of the Apple Watch through each generation, they should probably rethink.

After months of anticipation, Apple fans finaly got their hands on the Apple Watch upon its offical launch Friday. And while most just wanted to unbox and play with it, others such as repair website iFixit tore it down to get a look at its inner workings. Getting past the display and battery was no problem for them, as they were easily removed with separators and a little elbow grease. But when it came to the S1 chip -- which houses the brains and memory of the Apple Watch -- it was considerably more difficult because of all the wires attached. And in the process the teardown team damaged some of the soldered connectors.

That may be a disappointment for customers who like to tinker with their devices or for anyone who holding out for Apple to introduce an upgrade program. It’s not an uncommon trend with Apple products: As the company has strived for thinner and smaller components, the ability for users to service their own products has gradually gone out the window. This was especially seen with Apple’s MacBook, which iFixit also tore down. It found the MacBook’s design made it extremely difficult to swap out individual components such as the battery.

So if Apple Watch owners want the next generation of Watch, they’ll likely have to sell their old one on the trade-in market or find other ways to keep it up-to-date. Analysts are expecting an upgrade cycle longer than the that of the iPhone.