A5

iPhone and iPad are susceptible to widespread CPU flaw, too [Update]

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Apple A5 chip
Apple's A series chips could also be vulnerable to a nasty flaw.
Photo: Apple

A nasty CPU flaw that leaves computer users’ most sensitive data at risk is also present in iPhone and iPad processors, Apple confirmed Thursday.

The “Spectre” bug has been discovered in the mobile ARM processors that power iOS devices, as well as Apple TV — but there’s probably no need to panic.

How powerful is the Apple Watch’s S1 processor?

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The S1 processor inside the Apple Watch is equivalent to an A5. Photo: Apple
The S1 processor inside the Apple Watch is equivalent to an A5. Photo: Apple

If you’re wondering roughly how powerful the Apple Watch’s S1 SoC processor is compared to other ARM chips, the answer appears to be that it’s roughly equivalent to an A5 chip, as seen on the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, first iPad mini, and the Apple TV, at least as far as graphics chutzpah is concerned.

Why Apple’s heading toward a ‘zombie iPad’ apocalypse

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This is the source of the iPad's zombie problem. Photo: Apple

Yesterday, Apple unveiled the iPad mini 3, a slightly updated version of the second-gen iPad mini with Retina display. But even though it’s two generations old at this point, Apple still sells the original iPad mini for $249. That makes it the cheapest iPad yet, albeit for good reason: It packs the same A5 chip and other silicon guts that the iPad 2 did way back in March 2011.

That might actually seem like a good deal for consumers, but it’s turning out to be a nightmare for developers who will likely have to support the iPad mini until 2017.

What The 28nm A5 Chip Inside The New Apple TV Means For The Retina iPad Mini

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The Apple TV, Cupertino’s “hobby” of a set-top box, is often used to test out new fabrication process for the A-series chips that go into iPhones, iPod touches and iPads. The last Apple TV ran a 32nm A5 processor built by Samsung with a single-core disabled, which eventually ended up (in a dual-core capacity) in the iPad mini.

With the new third-gen Apple TV, Apple’s at it again. The new Apple TV is functionally and physically identical to its predecessor, except for one detail: it features a 28nm A5 chip built by TSMC. But what does it mean?

Apple Fires Samsung As MacBook, iPad Battery Maker

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Samsung is no longer supplying Apple's iPad batteries.
Samsung is no longer supplying Apple's iPad batteries.

Apple has reportedly further distanced itself from rival Samsung by switching its suppliers for iPad and MacBook batteries. The Cupertino company has been seemingly working to avoid Samsung’s components since the companies became embroiled in various legal battles all over the world.

Samsung Backs Apple Into A Corner With 20% Price Hike On All Mobile Processors [Report]

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Samsung currently supplies all of Apple's mobile processors.

Samsung has dealt Apple a nasty blow by increasing the price of its mobile processors — the ones built into every iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch — by 20%. According to a person familiar with negotiations between the two companies, Apple initially disapproved the price hike, but was forced to accept it with no replacement supplier available.

Why The iPad Mini Doesn’t Sell For $199

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Premium parts don't come cheap.
Premium parts don't come cheap.

The iPad mini is Apple’s answer to smaller Android tablets from the likes of Amazon and Google. But there’s a good reason why it doesn’t come with the same $200 price tag. A teardown has revealed that the new iOS device costs at least $188 to build, and that price rises when you add bigger storage options and 4G connectivity.

Benchmarks Reveal New iPod Touch Isn’t Even Half As Fast As iPhone 5

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The iPhone 5 is way ahead of its siblings when it comes to Geekbench performance.
The iPhone 5 is way ahead of its siblings when it comes to Geekbench performance.

Geekbench benchmarks for the new iPod touch prove Apple has made lots of improvements to the fifth-generation device, with its dual-core A5 chip making it significantly faster than its predecessor. When compared with iPhone performance, however, the iPod touch is lagging far behind.

Despite the same 800MHz processor, the new iPod touch is still slightly slower then the iPhone 4S, and not even half as fast as the iPhone 5.

5th Gen iPod Touch Teardown Reveals Massive Battery, Poor Repairability Score

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The new iPod touch goes under the knife.
The new iPod touch goes under the knife.

How do we know the new iPod touch began shipping yesterday? Because iFixit’s gone and torn it apart already. That’s right, the fifth-generation device has received its customary teardown, revealing its whopping new battery, and all of its new components. iFixit have awarded the iPod touch a repairability score of 3 out of 10, meaning it’s not at all easy to fix.

Apple Releases iPod Touch 5th Gen User Guide As First Benchmarks Surface

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"An essential part of any iPod touch library," according to Apple.

Apple has released a new digital user guide for the fifth-generation iPod touch, which was announced alongside the iPhone 5 back in September. The 138-page eBook covers “everything you need to know” about the device, and is available to download now — for free — from the iBookstore.

In addition to this, the new iPod touch has now received its first benchmarks, which reveal it’s packing an 800MHz dual-core A5 processor.

iPhone 5 May Not Have A Quad-Core CPU, But It’s One Of The Fastest Smartphones Money Can Buy

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That's a fast smartphone.
That's a fast smartphone.

When Apple unveiled the iPhone 5 last week, the company promised that its custom A6 chip deliver performance twice as fast as its predecessor, the iPhone 4S. But according to the handset’s first benchmarks, this isn’t just the fastest iPhone yet — it’s also one of the most powerful smartphones money can buy.

iPhone 5’s Logic Board With Possible A6 Processor Revealed?

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Is that an A6 chip I see?
Is that an A6 chip I see?

I’ve lost count of the number of iPhone 5 parts that have leaked out of Apple’s Chinese factories. But one thing that’s been notably absent from those leaks is the device’s new processor. We’ve questioned whether it will use the same A5X chip that features in the new iPad, or whether it will get an all-new A6 processor.

Thanks to the latest leak, that has become a little clearer.

Why Apple Should Start Streaming Games

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iOS gaming could be greatly improved if Apple invested some of its billions into a game streaming service.

On Monday, Sony Computer Entertainment acquired cloud-based game streaming company Gaikai for around $380 million in a move that is sure to excite fans of the company’s PlayStation devices. If the Japanese company uses its purchase to create a compelling alternative to OnLive, it has the potential to gain a huge advantage over rivals like Microsoft and Nintendo.

The same service could provide an even bigger advantage to Apple. In fact, there are a number of reasons why the Cupertino company should use its ever-increasing cash pile to make Mac and iOS gaming even greater.

iPad 2’s New A5 Processor Improves Battery Life, Paves The Way For An LTE iPhone

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They look exactly the same, but Apple's new iPad 2 lasts a lot longer than older models.

When Apple introduced the new iPad earlier this year, it didn’t just discontinue the iPad 2; it dropped its price and sent it out to do battle with cheaper, Android-powered tablets from the likes of Amazon. But that’s not the only change the Cupertino company made to the device.

Although there’s no mention of it, if you buy a brand new iPad today, it will pack a new A5 processor under the hood that’s a little different to earlier A5 chips, and delivers much better battery life.

The $399 iPad 2 Has New Tech Inside

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This might just look like gibberish, but it proves the new $399 iPad 2 has a better processor inside.

Did you think the $399 iPad 2 was just Apple cleaning out inventory? Think again: the iPad 2,4, as its known inside its own firmware, has a new A5 chip built upon a 32 nanometer process, which means it’s cheaper for Apple to make… and potentially more battery efficient to boot.

You’ll Be Waiting Some Time For An iOS 5.1 Jailbreak For A5 And A5X Devices

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Don't expect to see Cydia on your new iPad anytime soon.
Don't expect to see Cydia on your new iPad anytime soon.

Just hours after its release on March 16, Apple’s new iPad was jailbroken by the iPhone Dev-Team. Their announcement gave us hope that an exploit for A5 and A5X devices running iOS 5.1 would be available within weeks, but it now seems like we’ll be waiting a whole lot longer than that.

Apple TV Packs Custom A5 Chip

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The new Apple TV gets its own custom chip
The new Apple TV gets its own custom chip

Tim Cook kind of rushed past the Apple TV update yesterday. On the surface of things, not much changed: 1080p was the only real new feature, as the new iOS-like interface and Netflix sign-up are also available on older Apple TVs via update. But under the hood, the little black box is powered by a custom single-core A5 chip.