The Apple iPhone 3GS has a bill of materials cost of $172.46, according to market watcher iSuppli Corp. Toshiba, a new chip vendor for the iPhone, took the largest share of the pie at $24 for its 16 Mbyte flash module, iSuppli estimates.
Earlier teardowns showed that Toshiba and Elpida took the memory chip business in the iPhone 3GS away from Samsung who supplied memory in previous models. However, iSuppli said the likelihood is high that Apple could swap out suppliers for the NAND flash module as needed.

The 3.5-inch display module was the second priciest component in the 3GS, estimated at. $19.25. Cost of the associated touch-screen display electronics followed in third at $16, iSuppli said.

The fourth and fifth most expensive components went to continuing iPhone suppliers. Samsung maintained its position as iPhone's applications processor supplier, earning an estimated $14.46 and Infineon continued to supply its PMB8878 baseband chip for an estimated $13.

However Elpida supplied two Mobile DDR memory dice used inside the applications processor, netting an estimated $8.50, according to iSuppli. Previously, Samsung supplied the DRAM parts.

Broadcom and Dialog Semiconductor represented two other new component vendors new to the iPhone with the 3GS model. Broadcom's integrated Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module costs an estimated $5.95 and Dialog's power management chip for the apps processor cost $1.30, iSuppli estimated.

Broadcom replaced discreet Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips from Marvell and CSR, respectively. The Dialog chip replaced a part from NXP.

By: DocMemory
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