The real cost of the iPad

A tear-down of the Apple iPad conducted by iSuppli reveals the actual cost of the tablet computer to be just $US259.60, significantly lower than the lowest retail cost $US500.

The company reported the teardown shows Apple taking a “radical departure” in electronic design, with the device placing more emphasis on the display, touch screen and user interface rather than a comprehensive motherboard.

This design makes the gadget “human-machine-interface-centric”, the site said, with more components dedicated to showing off more content. In comparison, laptops place more emphasis on internal components.

“While the iPad has the potential to change the game in the computing, wireless and consumer worlds, it already has changed the game of how many electronic products are – and will be – designed,” iSuppli teardown analyst Andrew Rassweiler said in a statement.