One of the big surprises at Apple’s iPad unveiling is that the device uses Apple’s own silicon. A lot of people — myself included — were wondering about the design of Apple’s A4 processor and how it compares to the current batch of high-end mobile-chips (Snapdragon, Tegra, etc.). CrunchGear has the answer:
The A4 is a custom implementation of the ARM A9 processor, also found in Snapdragon (running the Nexus One) and Tegra (running the Zune HD). The difference is there is a GPU mated with the A9 in Apple’s design, probably to help offload the graphics work and keep the interface smooth.
There’s room for processor shrinks and even overclocking; the A9 has been clocked to 1GHz by everyone because it stays cool, but if Apple (or anyone) were to apply some better cooling, they could take it all the way up to 1.3GHz.
Early reports are that the iPad is so fast that it makes the iPhone 3GS look like a tortoise. With its A9 roots, this makes total sense. It will be interesting to see if Apple uses an A4 variation in the upcoming iPhone, which is expected to be announced in June.
impressive.
I'd like Intel to come out with a chip for mobile devices other than laptops and netbooks. Atoms suck anyway.
@Smartguy The dual-core Atoms are pretty okay.
@Ray
Haven't had the privilege of using one of those yet.
@Smartguy My friend was reviewing an Asus with the new Atoms. It's much better than the first two sets of Atom chips, but still not zippy enough for my tastes. I'd rather spend a tad bit more and go with an Intel ULV chip. They have offer great battery life and much better power than the Atoms.
It seems like a redeeming quality, but it also seems like a waste of money and overall unnecessary.
"The difference is there is a GPU mated with the A9 in Apple’s design"
Does this mean the A9 handles GPU work as well, or does it mean that it has a GPU.
@Sandrock323 Everything is on one chip, so the answer to both your questions would be yes.
@Shockwave562 There's a very good chance it will be some variation of this chip (perhaps clocked lower?). Right now it's too fast and hot for a phone, unless Apple unveils some new battery technology too.
So it has a GPU on the same die as the CPU? It is nice to see more of this, but Terga has that plus some. Actually, Tegra now has a dual-core A9 that goes up to 1ghz.
@Sandrock323 Yes, that appears to be the case. I'm not sure what Tegra's power consumption is like. The only device I know it's in is the Microsoft Zune.
@R-Pad
They were supposed to get some more products shipped before 09 ended, but I don't think it ever happened. Now they have their 2nd gen Tegra processor done and still no products out. Are they having trouble convincing people to switch from Intel or something?
My dream tablet is a Chrome/Tegra one. A free and fast OS with an even faster processor.
when they made the announcement part of me expected to see this chip in the next iPhone. I guess we’ll have to wait till summer and speculate in the meantime