The Apple iPad - Anand's Analysis
by Anand Lal Shimpi on January 27, 2010 5:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Mobile
The Hardware
Leading up to today’s announcement I desperately tried to figure out what hardware Apple would use for the iPad. I’ve been on a bit of an SoC kick as of late, so you can understand my fascination.
Apple acquired PA Semi back in 2008. Everyone assumed that it’s because Apple wants to start making its own SoCs for the iPhone. Well, the first results of that acquisition are in the iPad.
Apple didn’t devote much time to the SoC in the iPad other than to tell the world that it’s Apple’s own silicon and it runs at 1GHz. The SoC is called the A4. I’ve asked Apple for more details on it, but I’m not holding my breath for a response.
Given the fact that it runs the iPhone OS and nearly all iPhone apps, I’m guessing the A4 is ARMv7 based. It’s possible that Apple engineered its own architecture for the A4, but more likely that it simply took an existing ARM design and modified it to suit its needs.
If Apple wanted to save cost it would’ve gone with a Cortex A8 based processor, or if it wanted more performance it would be something more A9 like. I’m not ruling out a dual-core implementation, but given the entry level cost point I’m assuming that it’s not anything quite as fantastic.
The 1GHz operating frequency implies a 45nm manufacturing process if it’s indeed an A8 or A9-like core. If we look at Apple’s public video, it appears to render a page at Spin.com in roughly 2.7 seconds. My iPhone 3GS does the same in about 7 - 9 seconds, but it also appears to be loading a lot more content on the current Spin.com site. Even if we assume that the 600MHz Cortex A8 in the iPhone 3GS can render the same page in 5 seconds, the speedup is too big to be from a clock speed increase alone.
Based on this data alone (and the responsiveness of the UI from the videos) I’m going to say that there’s a good chance that the A4 is much closer to the A9 in terms of performance. If it’s not an A9 itself, it may be Apple’s own out-of-order design.
Then there’s battery life. Apple is claiming 10 hours of web browsing battery life, which is reasonable given the 25WHr battery, but over a month of standby power. I suspect that the ridiculous standby power is due to the fact that the 3G radio is completely shut off when the device is asleep, but even then that’s very good power consumption. If anything, Apple’s own engineering here was probably spent on making sure that the SoC’s power consumption was as low as possible. By comparison, even the best SoCs in a smartphone today can usually only offer 300 hours of standby power (12.5 days).
Apple’s battery life claims have been unusually reliable as of late, so I would say that we should expect 10 hours of useful battery life out of one of these things.
I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the CPU, but what about the GPU in the A4? Given that Apple is a shareholder in Imagination Technologies (9.5%), I’d say that it’s a pretty safe bet to assume there’s some sort of a PowerVR SGX core in here. Which core? There’s definitely the physical space to include something ridiculous, but I’m guessing it’s something relatively controlled - perhaps an SGX 535 or SGX 540 at the most.
A4 in the next iPhone?
I've been racking my brain over the past several months trying to figure out what Apple will use in the next iPhone. I figured it could be as simple as a 45nm Cortex A8 shrink, or as ridiculously sweet as a pair of Cortex A9s. With the iPad being based on Apple's own A4 SoC design, I'm guessing we'll see it (or a derivative) making an appearance in the 4th generation iPhone.
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afkrotch - Friday, January 29, 2010 - link
I'm waiting for the Lenovo hybrid laptop/tablet. The best of both worlds.lifeblood - Thursday, January 28, 2010 - link
Apple never does anything revolutionary, but they take evolutionary things and package them into something that is easy to use (which, for IT, is revolutionary). The iPad may not succeed but hopefully the concept will finally succeed. For so long we've needed a device of this size and form. We've seen it in theory since the 60's (Star Trek, etc) and now we have it. Quit looking at what the iPad is missing and look instead at what it CAN (hopefully) do.And isn't it funny how Microsoft is fading into insignificance while Apple and Google take center stage? Just like the all powerful IBM did in the PC days. Dear Mr Balmer, you company is doomed unless you take some serious action. Hire some young, imaginative programmers and managers who "get it" (no Windows or WinMobile types allowed), lock them in a room, and have them build a new OS designed for low power CPU's. It's your only hope for the future. And porting Office to it is mandatory.
afkrotch - Friday, January 29, 2010 - link
Archos 5 or Archos 7. Exactly what you want and has been available for over a year. The problem. Not enough ppl make apps for it.It's not "now we have it," it's "we've had it and completely ignored it."
I'll stick with my netbook though. I loaded up Win 7 Pro on it yesterday and it sails now. WinXP on it was horrid. The internet dragged, media was horrible, etc. While it's not anywhere near my desktop, I can at least surf the web and watch my non-HD vids with no probs. Give it a touchscreen and it'd be perfect.
morphologia - Thursday, January 28, 2010 - link
And just how is Microsoft "fading into insignificance" when most of the market buys their little Apple gadgets to use them in conjunction with their Windows PC? They may play around on their iPhone while on a business trip, but first chance they get they'll sync up to their PC so they can get some real work done. Just because a Segway is fun to ride around, that doesn't mean it will replace the sedan or grocery-getter...it's an expensive toy.ImSpartacus - Thursday, January 28, 2010 - link
Yeah, until MS finally just sets WinMo on fire and rebuilds the foundation, we will never see a satisfactory mobile device from them.Apple's biggest success with this product is the iPhone OS. It's tailored to a small touch screen. You can't throw a desktop OS on a 10in touch screen and expect the user to have a satisfactory experience.
mcnabney - Thursday, January 28, 2010 - link
While I agree about WinMo (I actually don't think WinMo7 will ever arrive since they probably won't have any market share left to sell to once it is complete next year) you should check out Courier. Very slick and actually as handy to lug/toss around as a small hardcover.medi01 - Friday, January 29, 2010 - link
Windows Mobile is a selling point for me and for most of friends of mine.I couldn't care less about flashy screens with 0 functionality. WinMo allows me to:
a) install whatever I like
b) develop my own software for it, without asking any mofo's permission
c) it supports bloody folders
Apple is simply outstanding marketing, nothing else. Lacking obvious features like copy&paste, introducing ridiculous constraints yet convincing customers that it's the way it should be. "I miss folders, but you could get nearly the same with playlists", right...
dotroy - Monday, February 1, 2010 - link
a) install whatever I like : What would that be which is not available in app store ?b)develop my own software for it: Ohh did you ever develop anything in your whole life ? If so please tell me which app ?
c) it supports bloody folders : Oh really? Folders are so 71. Why we do not search in Google by folders ? because when there is lots of data...folders does not matter, all you need a good search engine to fine it. If you have 4 files in your computer yes use a folder but if you have 25,000 MP3 then yes use search function to find files
Dex1701 - Monday, February 8, 2010 - link
Wow, no offense, sir, but I think you need to put down the Apple kool aid take a few deep breaths. You're thinking of mobile devices as toys rather than tools. Outside of the multimedia industry that's pretty much Apple's target audience. Some people need to use their devices for things other than shopping/playing silly games while waiting in the waiting room at the doctor's office, making dinner reservations, etc. Outside of our media department Apple has little to nothing to offer my company compared to Linux and Microsoft.Not only can we install the software we need (I'm going to ignore your "app store" comment...sure, there are some fun time-wasters to be had there, but very little that is actually useful), but both Windows Mobile (with all of its flaws) and Android are chock-full of out-of-the-box (or free via a download) functionality that is actually useful and productive. What little of this functionality is available on an iPhone requires multiple micro-transactions (most aren't free) from the app store, and then we're still left sorely lacking in business features.
Yes, our company does develop our own mobile device apps for WinMo and Android. No, you won't find any of them available to the public as they are not ridiculous "mood ring" apps that cost $5 and are entertaining for 10 minutes...they're clients for our IT data services and internal software, utilities for field engineers, etc. Heck, I've even developed several utilities for my own personal use.
Don't understand why someone would want folders? I don't even know how to address that. Sure, an indexed database is great for music, but not for a million other things. Again, you're thinking in terms of toys and appliances rather than tools.
Don't get me wrong, Apple makes great multimedia tools and electronics that work well for non-technical users. For me and my business their platforms are far too locked down and limited for us to bother with them.
dotroy - Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - link
Apple Kool Aid: So you think people buy product with their hard earned money just because they the product is made by apple ? Does not make any sense to me or will not make any sense to marketing either. I personaly still use WinXP and MAC OSX because I think they are both good.Not only can we install the software we need: So lets see. I am a LAMP developer as well and I can have my "SSH" app install and I can install and configure any php app with this for free which is not entertainment. Have you heard of "iphone SDK" you too can develop ahy app for yourself or for the business users without apples approval and can distribute in your organization.
WinMo and Android: WinMO is dead ..it could not do anything significant ..even browsing. Android is promising but still nothing close to what iphone offers.
Don't understand why someone would want folders? - So indexing is only for music and it is a toy ? Really so what is Google or any other search engine ?
Don't get me wrong, Apple makes great multimedia tools : This statement by you again contradictory of what you said earlier. Yes they make good product and that is why people buy them. Even if you are just a investor you would buy apple stock because they are doing good. I undersatnd for you (b2b market) apple has limited appeal because that is yet to be their target market.
Again I would say, making money and saving money is quite different and people do not spend their hard earned money by closing eye. Ask your marketing department and they would be able to explain you better