| Cult of Mac

Appeals court reverses $234 million patent-infringement ruling against Apple

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A8 chip
Turns out the A7, A8 and A8X didn't infringe on a patent held by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Photo: Apple

An appeals court just reversed the 2015 decision against Apple made in a patent-infringement lawsuit brought by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The original court ruled that the iPhone-maker owed the university $234 million for infringing on patented microchip technology in the iPhone and iPad.

Apple’s impenetrable security chip is penetrated by hacker

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Touch ID
But don't worry — Face ID isn't going anywhere.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s supposedly impenetrable security chip found inside iOS devices has been penetrated.

A hacker has released what is claimed to be a decryption key for the Secure Enclave Processor (SEP) that handles things like Touch ID and password verification. But we shouldn’t worry about the security of our Apple devices being compromised… yet.

Apple must cough up $506 million for infringing university patent

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A8 chip
Apple's A8 processor violated University of Wisconsin's patent.
Photo: Apple

Apple has been ordered to pay $506 million in damages after infringing a patent owned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

A U.S. judge ruled that the Cupertino company was guilty of using processor technology it did not own in its A-series chips for iPhone and iPad. The sum of damages is more than double that awarded by a jury last October.

New iPad Pro is slower than 12.9-inch model

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Size does matter, says Phil Schiller.
Size does matter, says Phil Schiller.
Photo: Apple

The new iPad Pro packs Apple’s fastest chip ever, but it turns out the tablet is actually slower than the 12.9-inch version.

Both iPad Pros use the A9x processor. However, when Phil Schiller was gushing about the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro’s “grunt” during Monday’s iPhone SE keynote, he didn’t mention that Apple underclocked the new processor and reduced its horsepower.

Apple’s 2.0 GHz A8 processor will leave the A7 in the dust

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The rumormill is reaching a fever pitch when it comes to Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6, and one of the hottest new reports concerns the handset’s alleged A8 chip.

While we’ve been seeing a new A-series processor each year, there’s still been no definite confirmation that Apple plans to include the A8 chip in its next generation devices, especially since developers have yet to push the A7 to its limits.

With that being said, the Chinese media is claiming that the A8 will not only happen, but that it will blow the current A7 out of the water: boasting frequencies of 2.0 GHz or more per core (compared to the 1.3Ghz A7 SoC found in the iPhone 5s and Retina iPad mini, or the 1.4 GHz found in the iPad Air).

NVIDIA’s 192-Core Tegra K1 Processor Is 3 Times Faster Than Apple’s A7 [CES 2014]

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CoA-CES-2014-bugYour smartphone and tablet will soon offer noticeably better performance than a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, thanks to NVIDIA’s new Tegra K1 processor, the successor to last year’s Tegra 4. The 192-core “Super Chip” will come in two versions, one of which is built upon a next-generation 64-bit Denver architecture and boasts clock speeds up to 2.5GHz.

Apple’s A8 Processors Will Be Built On Revolutionary 14nm Process [Rumor]

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Although reports have surfaced that Apple may be building a top secret $10 billion chip fab, right now, the vast majority of Apple’s A-series chips are made by Samsung. This is obviously not an ideal situation, as it gives Apple’s arch smartphone rival the advantage of knowing what the iPhone-maker is planning on doing next, at least from a silicon perspective.

It looks like Apple may soon be able to rely less on its nemesis when it comes to building chips, though. A new report says that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will largely take over for Samsung in making iPhone and iPad chips in the future. And they’ll be pretty crazy advanced chips, too, at least if the rumors can be believed.

Apple’s 64-Bit A7 Caught Entire Semiconductor Industry With Its Pants Down

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apple_a7_chip

After Apple released the iPhone 5s with the A7, the world’s first 64-bit chip, ARM competitor Qualcomm made quite the fool of themselves about it. First, Qualcomm representative Anand Chandrasekher called a 64-bit ARM chip a “gimmick.” Then they ate their words, soft fired Chandrasekher, and announced their own 64-bit chip to ship in 2014.

If that seems like a disorganized, chaotic response, you’re right. But there’s a reason for that. According to a new report, Apple’s unveiling of the 64-bit A7 chip took the entire semiconductor industry with their pants down… and everyone’s now scrambling to catch up.