Former Apple Engineer Reacts to Apple Watch Series 7 Teardown

In this video, Taylor sits down with ex-product designer Tobias from Instrumental to walk him through our Apple Watch Series 7 teardown, get some insider knowledge on the new design, and try to figure out what caused the delays bringing it to market.
You can learn more about Instrumental here!
instrumental.com/company/?utm...
And read their whitepaper on product design and manufacturing delays here!
instrumental.com/resources/eb...
Find a blog version of this teardown here:
www.ifixit.com/News/53688/thr...
00:00 Introduction
01:33 Apple Watch Series 7 X-Rays
01:54 New Apple Watch Opening Procedure
02:57 What's Changed in the Apple Watch Series 7's Larger Display
04:51 How Design Teams Overcome Delays and Obstacles
05:54 Apple Watch Series 7 Disassembly Continued
06:20 A Closer Look at the Series 7 Display
07:15 Removing the Series 7 Battery
08:17 Removing the Taptic Engine and Speakers
08:29 New Ingress Protection Measures
09:19 S7 Package Removal
09:25 The Apple Watch Series 7 Has No Diagnostic Port
10:32 Sensor Array Removal and Analysis
12:19 Disassembly Wrap Up
13:39 Repairability Score
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[@vxntablack]

“Tobias, why don’t you give us a quick 30 second intro” Tobias: *gives an intro that was actually 30 seconds, not a second more or less* Amaze

[@DaniIhzaFarrosi]

Actually checked. Yeah, he just did.

[@detechie]

I checked that too... My mind blown

[@1003Alfred]

Starts at 0:45 and ends at 1:15 , his mind was synced with a watch

[@johncs154]

They are probably looking at a clock/timer..

[@TheNeitsch]

@@johncs154 scripted

[@_stealth_y]

The way he’s speaking shows he worked at apple, pretty fun

[@jayson4791]

Choice of words and tone is Apple

[@AmanKhoo]

Yea ikr

[@Amine382]

exactly !!

[@hipperbob]

its called 10 year non disclosure agreement xD

[@thet0ast3r]

yeah man, thats only got to do with what he can or cannot say due to his NDA. cheers.

[@progenitor_amborella]

Hearing an engineer’s perspective talk how he did was really cool to see, especially from a company that does very interesting engineering, yet remains highly secretive.

[@RAMusicRU]

Looks like Tobias is TRAINED to talk and look good! He's talking like he's not in a video but has a personal working conversations, having constant eye-contact, avoiding straight answers etc. Like a true Apple professional. And lefts us wondering if he behaves like that in real life, because it's a little...robotic..?)))

[@tiestofalljays]

Like Dexter (Crime TV Show) lol

[@chorda_rec]

He's tied to Apple's non-disclosure agreements until the end of his life, I guess. He has to behave "well" :D

[@ColdDiva]

@@chorda_rec 😂😅

[@sriraghavt]

Tobias input explaining engineering decisions have refreshing, it's like bringing order to the chaos

[@VivekRoy2991]

But Louis Rosmann knows everything.

[@tyronenelson9124]

@@VivekRoy2991 True.

[@BillBrandon]

55 years ago I was a mechanical engineering student at the University of Texas in Austin (metallurgy was my interest). But I did not do well in the advanced math and physics, so I changed majors to keep the Navy footing the bill. Notwithstanding, I love this video. You can take me out of engineering but you can't take the engineering and the love of design out of me. So now my hobby is raspberry pi and Arduino. Cheap and fun, and nobody gets hurt.

[@user-rd5nc1nb9f]

"...nobody gets hurt".... ? not if i can help it !

[@metallurgico]

This guy looks like 20 and 60 y.o. at the same time

[@Tazradore]

Lmao I thought the same THING

[@OGkush69x]

Was looking for this comment

[@mal7916]

There's a lot of eye contact in this video

[@Lufelo]

Sorry all I noticed was Tobias’ arms…

[@exinetv1894]

He is soo ripped

[@JasonMP9121]

Same 😒

[@exinetv1894]

Anyway, I'm going for that now, I hope I'll be like that soon enough

[@its-a-random-name]

me too...

[@DominicGo]

asdfgjffljlljkl same (i kinda forgot i was watching an ifixit video halfway)

[@shem44]

Why use tools to open the watch when Tobias arms can do the job faster?

[@Mr.FranciscodeMiranda]

Dude’s got some tricep action going on ngl

[@Pandaliciousness]

Ok I’m glad it wasn’t just noticing this man

[@FaithsFallen]

100% they went on a date after !!

[@KevinEscobarCo]

I felt that chemistry too!!!

[@DatNguyen-on2ix]

The way they looked at each other's tho 🤣

[@DominicGo]

asdfdhssjksjkl not you shipping them 😭

[@Eysc]

jojo's bi. ad. momment.

[@autumnicleaf]

🤨

[@tipoomaster]

The first year we saw that metal pouch battery, I was hoping it was a test before it scaled up to other products, as it increases how dense it can be (thinner padding). Was never so though, so far.

[@ov3rkill]

Legend says Tobias' arms was the cause of the delay.

[@ChristopherEjsmont]

I enjoyed looking at Tobias’s muscular arms

[@gregorypalmer5467]

sameee haha

[@DominicGo]

asddhdjskskajllkljkl same lmao

[@Tazradore]

It’s also the way he looked at the other guy when he was talking so intently

[@Sport4Life]

I wanted to give Tobi a big wet smooch for being a hot, muscular engineer

[@dann1368]

Me too 😌

[@Simon-zq9cw]

Does anybody know Tobias‘ social media accounts? For research purposes.

[@ahmadnajmi3054]

im just gonna wait here for the answer. also, for research purposes 🤧

[@hibrad]

Tobias Harrison-Noonan, sadly his insta is private and the only other is linked in with no pic. He's married, to a woman. Womp womp, he's a good looking guy.

[@DominicGo]

not to simp in the yt comments, but he has really nice arms okay 😔

[@RealSkyDiver2]

@ANTHONY YOUNG y’all thirsty (not saying I didn’t think the same)

[@Tazradore]

@@hibrad I mean I can see why, you see how he pulls your attention with his slow talking tone, and eyes. Lol

[@alvintoro]

All I noticed was the nod to Air Power on Tobias’ shirt Instrumental logo. Well played good sir.

[@kombooch]

LOL.

[@tneprescintr]

They fit together nicely... and the watch components are not bad either.

[@loui828]

I liked how even tho he hasn’t been with apple for a number of years, starts to explain and design a machine to properly detach the display.

[@EmeraldStar2904]

Find someone who looks at you the way Tobias looks at Taylor

[@milkhorse]

"Heat and suction are really the two components." Uhhh... are we still doing phrasing?

[@mchitha]

And leakers saying that this was a backup plan instead of the flat rumored design... This made me rethink that and hearing the analysis of an engineer is so informative.

[@henrahmagix]

All these comments on Tobias' arms, and I'm like what about Taylor's HAIR 😍

[@mickeygarcia2331_]

It’s awesome to see how everything works. That’s awesome you have someone who has worked with the devices.

[@drewsdawho]

Tobias could do a solid H. Jon Benjamin impression (Bob's Burgers, Archer)

[@megadethfanforlife]

Glad I’m not the only person who caught that

[@justanormaluser1535]

10:10 I know why they removed it. Adapters allowing everyone to restore the firmware of an Apple Watch have popped up in the last two years and methods to remove iCloud from older watches also happened. This makes it more difficult

[@Tazradore]

I was wondering what you were talking about, the diagnostics port.

[@TheHuxely]

That’s the kind of analysis that no one else can do. Guy knows how things likely happen behind the scenes. Tech channels have so much of the same quality speculation

[@OdysseyOG]

Do more of these. This is really cool

[@lostl4kes]

so much beautiful hair in one video

[@konrad07dre]

It’s all just genetics lol

[@JesterRuiz31]

This dude is so Jacked. Tobias looks buff too

[@YJCH0I]

This convinces me that there was no squared-off flat-edged design that was scrapped last minute, because Tobias said that even a seemingly minor change in screen size could have caused shipping delays like what we experienced

[@andema83]

I've always been convinced, that rectangular design with the curved edges seems to be set in stone *sigh*.

[@Cruiseblackpool]

Question: Is it possible to shrink the screen even more you think or have they hit a limit.?

[@aykhanislamzade]

I think they can but is it gonna make it any more useful ?

[@emmettroberts1064]

The Series 7 is far more interesting than I initially thought.

[@ViniciusAraujo1]

Man, what an interesting content! I'm amazed! This guy seems to be a badass, wanted to check his work closer.

[@anonymousanonymous-hu7bt]

Tobias looks like a prince charming, speaking like gentleman, ripping and flexing there :))

[@DK-ox7ze]

Two questions: 1) So the theory regarding flat design and inability to fit in a double sided processor is not true at all? I mean they weren't exploring that design at all? 2) Even after 7 iterations, why is the Taptic engine still so big? It takes up almost half of the space in the watch, which could have been used for a bigger battery. The Taptic engine in iPhone is now much smaller than before.

[@bodigames]

the taptic engine is the same size in apple watch and iphone....

[@DK-ox7ze]

@@bodigames Taptic engine was much bigger in earlier iPhones, but it has remained the same size in the Apple watch. Considering the fact that iPhone is much bigger than the watch, I am wondering why Apple didn't shrink the Watch's Taptic engine?

[@bodigames]

@@DK-ox7ze Making the Taptic Engine smaller comes with sacrifice. The big Taptic Engine (probably the best Taptic Engine in any phone ever made) in the iPhone 7 Plus was incredibly good. When apple reduced the size of the Taptic Engine in the future phones the vibration power reduces significantly as well. Just compare the vibration power in the 7 plus to the iPhone 12 Pro Max….. The vibration power in the Apple Watch already is okay. People use it to wake up by vibrations. By reducing the size of the Taptic Engine in the Watch thus reducing vibration power you risk the vibration power in the watches to become too weak and will result in several features requiring the Taptic Engine to not function properly or function as intended.

[@cockandballer3593]

The Taptic Engine is only much smaller in the mini variant iPhone, I don’t know about the other models but I’m pretty sure they stayed almost the same size

[@bodigames]

@@cockandballer3593 The 7 Plus IPhone is way back. 2016 to be exact. The first mini phone to come out was in the 12 line up in 2020.

[@123theprodigy5]

Great video as always, people still think that they switched the design at the last minute.

[@OhQueBacan]

Well, people think that because they switched the design last minute

[@123theprodigy5]

I don’t believe that rumor, that’s impossible

[@coccco28]

Hi there.i am interest on know how did you removed that glass perfectly?more is that display still working after taking that glass off?

[@davidstrohmaier]

Does the Series 7 get hotter while charging compared to the S6 (because of the faster charging)?

[@cockandballer3593]

Doesn’t seem to

[@maikaimakena9424]

I really like hearing from a real pro about these changes.

[@AndrewTimosca]

This was really cool!

[@Nikola__K]

Could you please make a special video about the Sensor Array? Tried to find out what it does and how and what each pard does but cant find a good video to explain it.

[@wat3rmel0ns72]

u can tell this guy was so excited in the inside explaining this he was just acting proffesional loool

[@nicknorthcutt7680]

He is so well thought out and articulate, great video!

[@Happenings19046]

I’d like to know what engineering it would take to have a blood pressure function on the Apple Watch?

[@datalaforge]

There are a few things that the watch does that I really like but I still can't wrap my head around a timepiece that's meant to not work anymore after 3-5 years.

[@MrSamPhoenix]

Nice, Tobias gave us some insights without breaking the possible NDAs he likely signed.

[@AzimsLives]

Please do more of this kind of video

[@ivanluchezarov665]

Hey do a scratch test comparison for the last 3 apple watches to see if they improved it 😊

[@8535eddie]

Great show, but why would I need to know how its made inside, and why the constant hand movement and lastly - do you know how to change a flat tire/

[@MarcoCoelho92]

I saw a battery test on YT and S7 win with great difference vs. all models. Can that be true with battery size so similar to s6?

[@agusmendez91]

Great! Anybody know if after certain amount of time of battery being removed the Apple watch is factory restored? I need to do it but touch screen doesnt work well!!

[@Onedejenny]

Love this video!

[@johntrussell7228]

Loved this style of video! Very informative.

[@takerouw]

I am sorry, can you have more Tobias for your segment.. 😶

[@johncs154]

Yes but when you also consider how much time they were working on this “redesign” it also leads to question what other changes were in progress.. this still feels like a back up to me..

[@dukepham4191]

wow hearing this engineer is inspiring

[@shinaji08]

wow this is so interesting and informative!

[@i_vanni]

Nice format!

[@hotwheels9754]

THIS WAS SO COOL

[@StevieCooper]

Are watch screen protectors a good idea?

[@Account_old]

What if you plug the S7´s display on the S6 and vice versa ?

[@nshvllmusic]

so does this just disregard the leaks of that flat sides design? but also kinda confirm even more that it’s coming on the series 8?

[@sawyer7as]

How did you guys get the suction cup you sell to stick to the watch face? It seems way too large to me

[@optimatus.]

Him opening the Apple Watch to see what's inside: 🔪⌚ The Apple Watch on his wrist: 👁️👄👁️

[@Silentprofessional1]

Apple could increase battery life by redesigning the taptic engine as it takes up way too much space

[@user-ml6nt1pc4n]

Very helpful

[@mikehughes5800]

The modern day James Dean. Interesting video!

[@Mathis240]

So the new Front is better repairable. Very nice.

[@laserant]

Very interesting video. Thanks

[@kassiml6408]

Tobias, got any advice for a student who wants to take engineering?

Probably: 'You gotta lift man.'

[@arjunsen8112]

Me who can finally afford the Apple Watch 1st Gen: *Sips Coffee* HMMMMMM, definitely the display complexities.

[@SMFJose]

Amazing

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Awesome & Thanks :)

[@anthonyku9008]

The real question is... Can I use a Series 7 screen on the 6?

[@erratic100]

Seperate connectors for the screen and touch stuff in the 6, and a single, consolidated one in the 7. So I’d say ‘no’.

[@Ryan-hp6xs]

What size of watch is Tobias wearing?

[@shwolverine2300]

why they remove the diagnostic port that's insane I think if the wireless port fails that's it no diagnostics

[@RandomNothing88]

You think Apple cares about diagnostics or repairability? LOL

[@rushilkisoon]

In the bin!

[@feefre]

In the bin it goes! Either your bin, or the Apple shop one

[@Carterthielftw_]

It makes it harder to service. From my knowledge, apple doesn't fix any part of the apple watch, instead they decided it was more economical to toss out any device that might have a cracked display or worn battery

[@stevenrburgoyne]

@@Carterthielftw_ That is literally what happened with mine. The battery went all weird near the end of my 3 year warranty so I sent it in for a battery replacement. Instead of replacing the battery it I got a new series 7.

[@stewydon3630]

Where can I get a screen for my series 7 screen to purchase???

[@davidhorinek]

Tobias seems to be very cool. I wonder if his t-shirt picture is a nod to AirPower :D Also I hope Tobias will not get into some trouble by sharing these very interesting information.

[@johnrobertson7583]

I noticed something interesting recently when I was about to charge my Apple Watch seven. I seemed to notice a red or green quick flash come off the back of the watch as I set it down onto my nightstand. Has anyone else seen this?

[@prasanna1001]

I have a problem with my Apple Watch I lost my phone , I buyed new iPhone but my watch not connecting to my new phone due to activation id , I forgot my id can you help me ?

[@m1ll1on4r3]

My question might be offset but can anyone tell me what’s the exact Color name of the blue wristband of the series 6?

[@maikaimakena9424]

Thank you. ⚡️✨🌟

[@TenPester]

This is like a pen tester and their manager explaining risk to a client.

[@RestrictedRican]

I’m getting some strong Boy Meets World Ryder Strong vibes here lol

[@JasonLee-xp2dd]

Thought he was gonna say “Hey guys, Derek, More Plates More Dates”

[@mohammadrezaahi4480]

Very nice

[@Megabean]

I think they should slow down the Apple watch launch cycle, focus on bigger changes every 2 years because people don't upgrade their watches every year. That way you can suss out your design and manufacturing and provide a meaningful upgrade to users.Anyone agree with me?

[@HeyItsHades]

the quality of improvements wouldn't change if they switched to updating every 2 years instead of every year. The improvements would be the same. Just because a company updates a product doesn't mean they intend for everyone to buy new ones. Tim Cook has even said this many times that it's crazy to update devices every year if they dont need to be. The purpose of updating products every year is because people update all the time and it's not consistent. People want tech relevant to the year, not two years. Imagine if they upgraded every two years and you bought in the middle of the cycle. Boom, right out of the gate the tech in the product is already a year old. Car companies also updates cars every year but don't expect people to get a new car every year. They make minor improvements year of year so the product is always as up-to-date as reasonably possible. I got the Apple Watch 5 when it released and had the first Apple Watch before that, I have the iPhone XS Max, I just recently upgraded to the 12.9" iPad Pro M1, but had the iPad Air 2 before that, I got the 13" MacBook Pro 2 years ago & had the 2012 one before that (however I ordered the new 15" M1 Max because it's a crazy jump in technology and Im tired of hearing fan noise from my furnace that is my Intel Mac). The point is that all these devices work just as good as the day I got them and will last many more years and you should only be upgrading because you are reaching a power limit (the old devices cant support what you want to do) or there is a major jump in technology. But ultimately, if you cant afford it then you shouldn't feel pressure to upgrade. People get so consumed by thinking they need the latests and greatest tech because of the marketing is designed to make us want it. The social pressure of having a brand new product is strong. But the reality is 60%-80% of the total market would get along perfectly fine with a Chromebook.

[@myfewmoments]

@@HeyItsHades good read. thx

[@torcheco9356]

He looks and sounds like could be one of the instructors in a top gun movie

[@jondeak]

I feel like I’m watching an episode of Boy Meets World

[@Adrian_MA]

The apple watch series 7 incorporates wifi 802.11ac ???

[@definitelynottfue143]

Tobias actually finished his words in 30.73 Seconds

[@AKKORus]

On the end under the strap, what kind of little hole? what is she for? On the apple watch 7. Pay attention to that.

[@dafonsecaalexis5355]

I’m surprised that the haptic engine is that big compared to the battery… The watch could be thinner or at least have more battery without sich a big component

[@iFixitYourself]

We have the same reaction every time we open a Watch! It’s such a huge space commitment, really shows you how much they care about haptics.

[@dafonsecaalexis5355]

@@iFixitYourself honestly it’s good feature, wouldn’t really like it be gone! But, at what cost! 😅

[@nickmacaluso6585]

Yeah, jam more battery in there plz, I can do with less haptic feedback.

[@RunForPeace-hk1cu]

@@nickmacaluso6585 this is why you don’t work at apple. They care more about user experience than extra bit of battery life.

[@_beank]

The way he speaks and looks really show that he was working in apple

[@CainBuckler]

What company is Tobias with? I must have missed it

[@lukas______]

Can the series 7 battery fit the 6? Or did they do some lame ass software incompatibility lock?

[@johanneswohler5476]

I'm just here because I've seen him before. Fvckin beautiful Tobias.

[@ManuelPrado]

I think the metal casing around the battery is for keeping it from swelling, remember all those Apple Watch gen 1 Apple had to warranty?

[@stoinks224]

If battery swell and we avoid that it will explode.

[@ManuelPrado]

@@stoinks224 You should work for Apple

[@stoinks224]

@@ManuelPrado u don't understand do u . As battery swell the ring will avoid that expanson and lead to hazarf

[@ManuelPrado]

@@stoinks224 You don't understand do you? If that was the case why would Apple do that? You very well know that most batteries have the potential to swell or don't you?

[@stoinks224]

@@ManuelPrado not most. Depends on quality of battery and how much longer apple doesn't want you to switch to newer model

[@cJeremy]

yea this guy works out.

[@tariq3077]

So can I just buy a display and slap it on old design?