Apple TV Next and The New iPad Tech Specs Pages Post - Single Core A5 in Apple TV
by Brian Klug on March 7, 2012 2:33 PM ESTFinishing off their special iPad and Apple TV announcement, Apple has just set the tech specs pages live for both the iPad and Apple TV, and the only major surprise is inclusion of a single core A5 in the new Apple TV.
Considering the die size (and thus cost) of the A5 SoC, it isn't altogether surprising to see Apple go with an A5 with one Cortex A9 fused off for the new Apple TV. This is likely a die harvesting move, and I wouldn't be surprised to see an iPod Touch show up with a similar single core A9 A5 SoC at some point in the future.
As predicted, the iPad next contains Apple's A5X SoC which we suspect is a 32nm A9MP2 and SGX543MP4, up from the A5's SGX543MP2. The rest of the specs on the new iPad page get a modest bump to, including a spec bump on 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 likely alongside use of Broadcom's BCM4330 module just like in the iPhone 4S. Battery also is considerably larger, at 42.5 Whr compared to the iPad 2's 25 Whr.
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BSMonitor - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
So, the A6 we have been hearing about. Must be iPhone 5 hardware ehh?name99 - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
An interesting point.We now have photo geotagging. Does that mean (FINALLY!) we have a GPS chip? I suspect we must have --- perhaps with the ephemeris downloaded over WiFi occasionally to allow for faster operations.
Currently Location Services gives you a location (on non-GPS devices) based on
- IP address AND/OR
- WiFi base stations nearby AND/OR
- Cell Phone Towers nearby
The third of these is no good without cellphone functionality, and the first two aren't going to work for most outdoor photo shooting.
Which suggests there IS a GPS chip in there (maybe discrete, maybe a GPS cell in the WiFi chip). People with access to a device might want to check this out --- does Maps seem to find locations faster and more tightly?
Brian Klug - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
The iPad 3 location spec still has only WiFi and compass listed, so that particular model has no GPS. I would wager that GPS is being done on the baseband given its presence on the cellular-enabled one.-Brian
name99 - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
So how do they geotag photos, if I'm, say, in the desert? I just don't get it.heffeque - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
The iPad to the desert? You people take your iPads to the weirdest places...jjj - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
Would make little sense to spend time and money for a 32nm with a dual core A9 unless they use it in the next iphone too and thet would be far from ideal.3DoubleD - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
Apple isn't hurting for clock speed nearly as badly as Android device are. If the LTE modem can be integrated to the 32nm A5X, then wouldn't be terribly surprised if something similar land in the iPhone 5. If not, I guess Apple will jump to 28 nm with everyone else.3DoubleD - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - link
Seeing as how battery life remained constant between the iPad 2 (25 Whr) and "The new iPad" (worst naming scheme ever) (42.5 Whr), the new screen and quad core GPU must be huge power hogs. It isn't the LTE chip since there is only a 1 h battery life difference between WiFi and LTE usage.tipoo - Friday, March 9, 2012 - link
There are no teardowns of final hardware yet but some leaked parts showed the new screen needs two LED light strips instead of one.jaffa62 - Friday, May 4, 2012 - link
Independent companies also provide a battery replacement service, returning the original unit with new battery but original case. Alternatively it is possible for a technically competent user to buy and install a new battery, which may invalidate any remaining warranty on the iPad. The task does not require soldering, but is technically challenging. Thanks.Regards,
http://localseoservices.bravesites.com/