So here's a bonus for all of you: the A5X cover removed.

Underneath the cover we find the A5X processor flip chip mounted onto the carrier PWB.

It's a safe bet that the A5X cover is a heat sink for the CPU, given there's thermal paste underneath and a thermal pad on top of the cover.

The A5X measures 12.82 mm x 12.71 mm (162 mm^2) which is 36% larger than the A5.

As is the case with most tablets, the iPad 3 is really just a giant battery.

Some help from our spudger allows us to remove the battery from the device for further inspection.

While the iPad 2 housed a formidable 25 watt-hour Li-ion battery, the iPad 3 has upped the ante to the tune of 42.5 watt-hours.

Its 3.7 volts and estimated 10 hours of use (9 with cellular data network) are comparable to that of the iPad 2, but we assume the extra 17.5 watt-hours are put to good use powering the extra RAM and greatly improved GPU.

Each separate cell lists its rating of 3.78 volts and 14.60 watt-hour. They're graced with some more matrix barcode tags and wonderful inscriptions that read 741-0065-A P11GG9-01-F01TS. Swoon.

Chris Foresman at Ars Technica compared the energy density to the battery in the iPad 2, and it comes out about the same—around 0.0014 watt-hour / mm^3.

Apple physically increased the size of each cell by about 70%, explaining the big jump from 25 to 42 watt-hours.

As we progress through the teardown, what remains is just the carcass of a once mighty iPad.

Being the vultures that we are, let's continue picking away at the remains of this aluminum beast...first on our list is the dock connector.

The dock connector seems to have the same pin layout as the iPad 2, we have yet to determine whether or not the dock connectors are swappable.

Pesky, finicky screws! Be gone and let us remove the antenna in peace.

Get out of the way, ribbon cable! Let us get a look at that micro-SIM card slot.

Like the other iPads with micro-SIM cards, the iPad 3 4G has a user-accessible micro-SIM card slot that can be ejected with the help of a handy SIM card eject tool.

Sorry, former Amp'd Mobile users, this iPad can only be used on AT&T and Verizon networks.

The headphone jack and one of the many wireless antennas come out as a single unit. Bummer.

Well hello there! Fancy to meet you here iSight camera.

You have what specs? Oh, a 5 element lens, an IR filter, and auto exposure. Stop it iSight, you're making us blush...

UPDATE: Chipworks found out that the primary camera is indeed the same image sensor Apple used on the iPhone 4: Omnivision OV5650, 1.75 um pixel pitch, 5 MP back illuminated CMOS Image Sensor.

The secondary image sensor is also an Omnivision, the OV297AA. 0.3 Mp, 3.0 um pixel pitch CMOS Image Sensor

Pulling out other fine parts, such as the front-facing camera and antenna.

Whether you're video chatting or fixing your hair, the front-facing camera is sure to meet all of your low resolution photography and video needs.

What an array of buttons and switches! This truly is a sight to see. Buttons of all kinds. Switches of all types. So many!

The speaker assembly is the next victim on our list. Farewell speakers!

iPad 3 Repairability Score: 2 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair)

The LCD is easy to remove once the front panel is gone.

The battery is not soldered to the logic board, making the replacement process a tad less difficult.

Just like the iPad 2, the front panel is glued to the rest of the device, greatly increasing the chances of cracking the glass when trying to remove it.

Gobs, gobs, and gobs of adhesive hold down everything in place, including the prone-to-start-a-fire-if-punctured battery.

The LCD has foam sticky tape adhering it to the front panel, increasing chances of it being shattered during disassembly

You can't access the front panel's connector until you remove the LCD.