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Wednesday, June 19, 2013
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fashionaudioburner by: Anonymous on 10/13/2010
http://www.fashionaudioburner.com
ed hardy bikini by: Anonymous on 10/13/2010
<a href="http://www.jewelry-vogue.com">ed hardy bikini</a>
Nice website by: Anonymous on 2/11/2010
Too bad we can't vote down some of the poorly considered comments. Great blog though.
www.websnepal.com by: Anonymous on 2/10/2010
so good too good..thanks
by: Anonymous on 2/10/2010
The first two posters are right. Apple (engineers, management, etc.) aren't stupid. They didn't play LEGO games. They, of course, wouldn't reinvent the wheel. They used existing licensed ARM IP, modified it heavily for extreme power saving (don't forget that two cores at 500Mhz consume less than 1 core at 1Ghz) and enhanced integration and thus performance. Of course only the PA Semi group could really do the silicon modifications needed. The software groups did the required changes in the OS.

BTW, the articles here seem to have nothing bright or about the bright side in them.
PA Semi Chip Mostly Power PC by: Anonymous on 2/8/2010
The conventional wisdom that the A4 is mostly ARM based is not supported by the fact that the PA Semi PA6T (their main product at the time of the Apple acquisition is actually based on a licensed from IBM Power Architecture core. Power Architecture is what IBM is calling their Power PC family of processors these days. For more details see my blog at http://markstechchat.blogspot.com/

Mark W. Hibben
by: Anonymous on 2/7/2010
gee, what a surprise - it's an ARM CPU! who could've guessed apple would stick to ARM since that's what they built the iPhone OS for, and since intel just can't deliver what ARM does! golly, who could've guessed!
Its a CPU + by: Anonymous on 2/6/2010
It's a CPU plus some other crap, nothing to see here folks.
by: Anonymous on 2/5/2010
Erm, you keep going on about how Apple or Steve Jobs has referred to the A4 as a CPU... but without offering any evidence for this! Do you have any quotes in which anyone from Apple refers to the A4 as a CPU?
by: Anonymous on 2/5/2010
In the tech specs on the iPad web site, the A4 is not described as a CPU. Instead it says "1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip". That's pretty clear.
http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
by: Anonymous on 2/5/2010
I think you're wrong when you say Steve Jobs refers to the Apple A4 as a CPU. In the iPad keynote presentation he refers to it as a "chip", and explicitly states that it contains the CPU, graphics, I/O and memory controllers. Bob Mansfield also refers to the A4 as "custom silicon".
by: Anonymous on 2/5/2010
Given that the iPad is apparently binary compatible with the iPhone, it should come as no surprise that it's running an ARM CPU.

What's the evidence for the ARM Mali GPU being used, though? Previous iPhone/iPod touch devices have used SoC's from Samsung that included a POWERVR GPU from Imagination Technologies - a company that Apple holds a considerable stake in. Given the recent announcement of the POWERVR SGX545 by Imagination, isn't it likely that this is what is powering the A4's graphics?
Bah humbug! by: Anonymous on 2/4/2010
This is such a cynical piece by people whose only daily ponderings on chips are: 'What flavour should I buy today?

Just how much of your funding comes from shill money from the losing players in Apple's markets?

Whores.
henrylow by: Anonymous on 2/4/2010
Experts have talked about this before. How many times have you read about the importance of ‘adding value’ for your audience? How many times have you read about ‘building trust’ with your readers/prospects?

Many, many times. You know it well. Every marketing guru has spoken about this topic. I’m sick of hearing it. But it STILL bears repeating.


www.onlineuniversalwork.com
Its not a CPU at all? /rollseyes by: Anonymous on 1/31/2010
What? "Apple today didn't introduce just a new product, but rather an entrance into the world of fabless semiconductors with their A4 CPU, which is not a CPU at all"

"Getting back to Apple A4, Steve Jobs incorrectly addressed Apple A4 as a CPU. We're not sure was this to keep the mainstream press enthused, but A4 is not a CPU. Or we should say, it's not just a CPU."

Make up your mind already!!!! geesh.
by: Anonymous on 1/31/2010
That's a very inaccurate comparison. Steve Jobs together with Wozniak founded Apple out of a garage. Don't forget that Apple literally invented the personal computer, to take the power out of the hands of the elite. The history of secrecy with Apple stems from Microsoft's breech of trust in the early days when imported japanese computers with blatant copies of apple (early Windows) appeared. Since that day, Jobbs has always been suspicious of handing out too many details.


"Then again, given that Steve Jobs controls the information in a manner very similar to Goebbels and punishes the non-biased members of the media, we're not surprised. "
aricles by: Anonymous on 1/31/2010
The articles here are getting worse and worse.
by: Anonymous on 1/29/2010
It seems to me that Apple spent more money to develop its own chip? Why not buy off the shelf? Could their be more to this? Maybe something to benefit Apple? Apple is really good at creating ways to lock you out. It could prevent hackers from jail braking their iPad? I know its too early to tell.
by: Anonymous on 1/29/2010
Neither would I invite you to my press events if you compared me to Goebbels.
by: Anonymous on 1/29/2010
With the launch of the iPad tablet, Apple has managed to become the ultimate digital go-between company for high quality and high price content in a small yet very affluent segment of the population ... NQ Logic encourages you to check out why Apple's iPad is the final digital puzzle for their ultimate connected consumer strategy at www.nqlogic.com
Industry Insiders by: Theo Valich on 1/28/2010
We report news based on information we receive from our sources or in conversation with industry insiders.

On BSN* we report news as they happen or create a news based on information given to us in a way described above.

Unfortunately, unless any of anonymous posters work for PA Semi division inside Apple, everything is nothing else but speculation.

What ARM core is inside Qualcomm's Snapdragon? It is an custom silicon with capabilties beyond A8 and below A9. Can it qualify as an A8? No, it cannot. Can it qualify as an A9? Again, no it cannot.

Can we write that Qualcomm's core is similar to one inside the A4, Tegra 2 and others? For as long as it supports the expanded capabilities that were introduced with the A9? Yes we can.

Again, we explained how we got the information and there was no black magic used in creation of this article.

Secondly, we're not on anyone's side. As far as Apple equipment goes, we spent almost $50,000 on Apple equipment and are we happy with it? Not exactly. Are we going to openly discuss the value proposition of Mac Pro systems similar to ones we use in our video production studio? Yes we will - hence the Mac Tax article from couple of months ago.

Are we wrong or right? Ask Apple. As a proponent of open standards and their mantra "we're not evil, everyone else is", we're quite certain they will answer with delight.

If not, again - don't shoot the messenger.

Ed.
Snapdragon by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
Snapdragon's cpu is not based on the Cortex-A9. It is based on the Cortex-A8. You got a lot of other facts twisted, as has already been pointed out by previous commenters. Get your facts straight before you make a fool out of yourself with your snotty attitude...
windows by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
Windows system requirements
PC with USB 2.0 port
Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
iTunes 9.0 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
iTunes Store account
Internet access

Those requirements are for iTunes, not the iPad. Fucking retards.
by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
too many errors to take any of it seriously.

"One thing is certain - it uses ARM IP throughout the silicon."

based on... what? all that in-depth time with the tablet?

pure speculation from someone who doesn't really seem to know what's going on.
by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
I was wondering what the A4 stood for... maybe 4 cores. Steve jobs mentioned that their chip designers and software guys collaborated. There may be some custom IP tacked on to solve issues specific to OS X, Objective-C, or Grand Central Dispatch. It would only make sense that at least the proprietary PASemi technologies for power efficiency would have been added.
Disingenuous by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010

It seems more than a little disingenuous to claim that Apple had nothing to do with the A4. If that were actually the case, they could have simply bought one of many other ARM clones out there. And let's not forget how none of those licensees similarly have nothing to do with the design or production of the ARM chips they designed and produced!
by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
Qualcomm Snapdragon does not use A9, it uses a custom A9-like core called Scorpion.

Qualcomm is an architecture licensee and uses it to build ARM-compatible cores, and Scorpion is such a core.

NVidia Tegra with A9 is not shipping yet, the current one is ARM11 based (like the original iPhone)
How many cores the in the Apple A4? by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
The ARM-Cortex A9 comes in different configuation from 1 to 4 cores.
mistake by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
I was looking at the PC requirements for connecting to the device.
Sources by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
I don't see why the Apple iPad would run Windows rather than Apple OSX v10.5.8 as the official website says http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
But of course if you have seen something else, you probably have a link....
IS it really ARM? by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
According to the tech specs for iPad it runs Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

As far as I know there is no ARM port for these operating systems.

Can someone correct me if I'm wrong?
by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
I doubt Jobs got up on stage and lied, as you hint. They've been working on a chip for some time, and despite your statements, no doubt there is a good deal of Apple's IP inside.

As for EE Times, I've been reading and been a member for years. The articles they've done lately on the iPad have been an embarrassment. They've also been a hatchet job if I've ever seen one. I don't understand why they did that, but writing that nonsense before the product was even announced was irresponsible at the very least, and brings their integrity into question.

I'm losing some of my respect for you as well. You don't even seem to know that the iPad has no Flash, so your comments seem useless, and questionable for everything else. Even someone not in the business would have guessed there wouldn't be Flash
LOL by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
"...given that Steve Jobs controls the information in a manner very similar to Goebbels..."

Hehehe I had to laugh when I read that. I actually wasn't aware of this. It's pretty sad if it's true! Bad on Apple and Steve for that. Shape up Apple. Don't be another Microsoft please or we'll all be boycotting YOU soon too.

Oh well.
flash laden sites? by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
Not a problem. Mobile Safari ignores flash since it's not supported! Did you not see the plugin icon on the NY Times page during the demo? lol
Great Comments by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
Good Evening, it is very enjoyable to read that readers actually know more about the product than this article that was taken over by many other websites.
It would have been nice to have sources proving the content... I wish facts would have been checked rather than speculating to attract viewers.
by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
The fact is you were never invited to Apple events, and you never will be.
Custom Silicon by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
This article talks about how the Apple A4 processor is just the same as Tegra and Snapdragon but the fact that they are both using reference designs as the based on ARM is the only similarity. How the circuits are organized how power consumption is managed and how the elements are combined make the difference in performance. BTW Nvidia's Tegra is just a rebranding of another company's product that apple dumpped and replaced for something better over the course building better iPods.
Defending the Steve by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
Jobs didn't incorrectly call it a CPU. He called it "custom silicon." And now you explained why :)
So what's inside the A4? by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
The A4 SoC will have:

1) CPU (most likely dual-core ARM Cortex A9)
2) GPU (most likely PowerVR SGX, but I see you write ARM Mali)
3) Video decoder/encoder (H.264)
4) Security Core (AES)
5) Memory Controller
6) USB Controller
7) Flash memory controller (direct, not SATA)
8) SATA or IDE controller (if Apple want to make other devices using the chip that need more storage - e.g., AppleTV)
9) Audio Controller (obviously!)
Highly doubtful there is a ARM Mali 50-Series GPU by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
Nice try, though. Since Apple has been using the Power VR (SGX on the iPhone 3G S) series for some time. Likewise, licensing a power Core with ARM core from Imagination would be a very quick way of doing things since they [Imagination] already have this done.

Chances are that the ARM Mali 50-Series GPU is NOT the IP inside but something very close to the Power VR series. With Apple pushing this a a gaming tablet, it also makes it less likely the ARM Mali 50-Series GPU IP is included.

Likewise, Apple has a very long history of doing their own memory controllers, so they probably leveraged that talent and this has a custom memory controller as well.

As for it being ARM? Of course it is ARM. Did anyone think it was not an ARM Core?
A4 is an SoC by: Sean Kalinich on 1/28/2010
The A4 is a complete System on Chip.
It is highly doubtful that the PowerVR chips could have been combined with an A8 or A9 from ARM in the short time span we are talking about.

This is another indicator that they are using similar IP (easier to combine). As for smooth graphics, almost all of what we saw was up-scaled iPhone games. They showed a single "new" game and that was not smooth at all.

I am not at all sure about the place the iPad will take in the market. My gut feeling is that Apple has made a huge mistake in assuming that iPhone and iPod users will buy this because it is familiar.

True the hardcore faithful will but I am not so sure about the rest of the market.
by: Anonymous on 1/28/2010
Apple has invested too much in Imagination Tech to not use their PowerVR core. What sources to indicate it is A9? I have a feeling it might be a Cortex A8 with the PowerVR SGX 540 (considering that silicon is already stable and the product is ready for approval from Jobs -- The only A9 silicon we have is from Nvidia - Tegra 2, and 'mature' products like iPad with so much software ecosystem already in there are not available for it yet).

Btw, this one is not even in the same league as Tegra 2 and the HD capabilities are a big joke (L3.1 main profile // 2.5Mbps H264 -- Who is Apple trying to kid here?)

Another offering for the fanboys..
Mali-55 by: Anonymous on 1/27/2010
As a follow on to the above comment, in the article by ARM Mali 50-Series GPU do you mean the Mali-55?

http://www.arm.com/miscPDFs/21863.pdf

That seems highly unlikely since from ARM's own marketing materials, the Mali-55 doesn't have hardware vertex shader support and it's performance level looks about the same as the MBX-Lite in the 1st and 2nd gen iPhone and iPod Touch models. Definitely a step backwards and not consistent with the smoothness of the animations and graphics demonstrated on the iPad.
iPad Simulator Reveal Anything? by: Anonymous on 1/27/2010
Would the iPad simulator reveal any more details about the CPU?
No PowerVR GPU? by: Anonymous on 1/27/2010
It seems surprising that the iPad would be using an ARM Mali GPU rather than a PowerVR chip given Apple's existing experience with Imagination's product line and probably more importantly, Apple's investment in the company. In order to offer a performance increase over the PowerVR SGX 535 in the third gen iPhone and iPod Touch, Apple would presumably have to use at least a single core Mali-400. Perhaps, the lack of 100% iPhone game compatibility in the iPad is due to this change in GPU and perhaps the lack of support for some of Imagination's OpenGL ES extensions.
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