Apple late last month revealed for the first time a smaller version of its popular iPad tablet PC, which joins an ever increasing market with devices such as the Google Nexus 7, and Amazon Kindle Fire HD available to consumers. The Apple iPad Mini has now been given the teardown treatment that reveals the company is still relying on Samsung for its components.

As AppleInsider are reporting the team over at iFixit has got to work on the iPad mini, and it has also revealed that the device shares components and ideas with the recently released iPhone 5. When stripping the unit down it was found that a large metal plate is sitting behind the display that is fixed into place with sixteen screws.

This is similar to what was found when the iPhone 5 got the same treatment along with the latest version of the iPod Touch, which led the team to decide the plate is a new design in iOS devices. The frame sitting behind the display was so tiny that it and the covers for the connectors would only provide enough material to form two or three paper clips.

Once this panel was removed it showed a circuit board that is the Murata 339S0171 Wi-Fi module, which is also used in the latest version of the iPhone. Even though Apple is locked in a fierce battle with Samsung, it was revealed that the LCD display was made by the company, which continues the trend from the 3rd generation of iPad.

The company has managed to fit stereo speakers into the iPad mini, which was largely down to the introduction of the new Lightening connector instead of the original 30-pin dock connector that Apple originally used on its iOS hardware.

Above each of the two speakers the company has placed antennas, which is probably for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and these are held in place by the smallest screws that the iFixit experts have ever seen. The fact that Apple has decided to solder the Lightning connector onto the logic board, would suggest that repair costs for the device won’t come cheap.

Do you think Apple will ever stop using components from Samsung?