Apple Praised for Bold Move With A6 Processor

News
By Wolfgang Gruener
published

While we have seen images of Apple's A6 processor die, large parts of the core design as well as the interaction of the integrated components remain speculation.

The latest indicator is the most recent release of the Microprocessor Report, in which Linley Gwennap argues that several hundred million dollars of investment are paying off for Apple. The latest A6 processor design is recognized as unique and as a design "that has never been seen before." That indicates a design that is specifically tailored to the needs of the iPhone and the iPad, which makes economic sense at the scale of current iPhone and iPad shipments.

Gwennap notes "that the iPhone 5 could generate $20 billion in revenue" in the Christmas season alone. "So that half a billion dollars [of investment] could be money well spent," he said.

However, Apple appears to be now reaping the fruits of its gutsy move to develop its own microprocessor with the help of acquired companies such as PA Semi in 2008 and Intrinsity in 2010. There was the notion that Apple could never compete with the processor design resources by companies such as Samsung or Intel, but it seems that the company is changing opinions.

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Wolfgang Gruener
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42 Comments Comment from the forums
  • syrious1
    that in general doubles the performance of the chip in the iPhone 4S

    I would like to see some actual benchmarks, instead of a photo of the die.
    Reply
  • ttg_Avenged
    Meh. They are not the first, no where near it to make a dual core phone. There is quads 1.6GHz out.. so, yea.

    But still, I could definitely see how much innovation has been created from this, and all that amazing manure iSheep eat & nom on all day.
    Reply
  • lipoly
    syrious1I would like to see some actual benchmarks, instead of a photo of the die.
    Here you go: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6330/the-iphone-5-review
    Reply
  • Dangi
    Of course A6 will run faster, that's what embedded systems do, you don't need that much CPU brute force if the system is fully optimized for it, the same way consoles can play games with performance close to computer games ( without AA ) with hardware thats way less powerful
    Reply
  • zwavergn
    ttg_avengedMeh. They are not the first, no where near it to make a dual core phone. There is quads 1.6GHz out.. so, yea. But still, I could definitely see how much innovation has been created from this, and all that amazing manure iSheep eat & nom on all day.
    You do realize the dual-core A6 outperforms some quad-cores like the Nvidia Tegra 3 and Snapdragon S4, which are quad core chips, right?

    More cores does not mean it's better. A better architecture or design makes the difference. In Apple's case with the A6, they laid it out by hand instead of the usual automated tools and it gave significant performance boosts.
    Reply
  • eklipz330
    zwavergnYou do realize the dual-core A6 outperforms some quad-cores like the Nvidia Tegra 3 and Snapdragon S4, which are quad core chips, right?More cores does not mean it's better. A better architecture or design makes the difference. In Apple's case with the A6, they laid it out by hand instead of the usual automated tools and it gave significant performance boosts.what are you trying to reason with someone that hates apple? that's like trying to reason with someone that buys nothing BUT apple.

    2 sides of the same coin.
    Reply
  • deftonian
    DangiOf course A6 will run faster, that's what embedded systems do, you don't need that much CPU brute force if the system is fully optimized for it, the same way consoles can play games with performance close to computer games ( without AA ) with hardware thats way less powerful
    It's a stretch to say consoles can play games with performance close to computer games... a very big stretch. Computers have such a huge range when it comes to performance so if you mean that consoles comes close to low end computers in regards to gaming, then you're accurate. But mid to higher end PCs will knock the socks off a console.
    Reply
  • Apple could make another bold move by contracting with AMD for a custom APU for Apple laptops! I am sure they would have better graphics the the Intel HD4000!
    Reply
  • bigdragon
    Move on over, Intel. Here comes Apple. I expect this to become a trend. Could we see Apple move away from x86 and roll their own chips for laptops and desktops in 5 years? It's now possible especially as iOS continues to gain steam. It's not like they've always been x86. I would be quite interested in seeing Wintel vs Armple. The competition that would bring would help boost computing I think.
    Reply
  • IQ11110002
    "You do realize the dual-core A6 outperforms some quad-cores like the Nvidia Tegra 3 and Snapdragon S4, which are quad core chips, right?"

    Of course it's fast on such a puny little screen, sigh..... All that performance that you can't actually see. lol
    I'll take the slightly slower(unnoticable in real world) phone with larger screen thanks, At least it will be of use!
    Reply