Virtual teardown 'reveals' iPad costs
Apple's forthcoming iPad tablet computer will cost $US229.35 for the company to produce, according to an estimate from research house iSuppli.
The group conducted what it called a "virtual teardown" of the iPad, since the device is not yet available and component suppliers have not been announced.
Apple's iPad, which resembles a large iPhone and uses the same operating system, will go on sale as early as next month, as the company looks to define a new category of mobile devices. For the $US499 iPad - the lowest-cost model, which features 16 gigabytes of flash memory - iSuppli estimated the total materials cost at $US219.35, with a $US10 manufacturing cost.
