And the NY Times chimes in with http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/technology/business-computing/02chip.htmlwhich notes that Apple hasn't confirmed anything and that a bunch of PA Semi engineers may have left Apple soon after the acquisition disappointed with their stock grants.
-- rec -- On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 2:03 PM, Roger Critchlow <r...@elf.org> wrote: > Engadget thinks the Apple A4 is just a bunch of existing silicon pieces > integrated on a chip. > http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/28/apples-a4-is-an-arm-based-system-on-a-chip-a-la-tegra-2/ > > -- rec -- > > > On Sat, Jan 30, 2010 at 11:52 AM, Roger Critchlow <r...@elf.org> wrote: > >> The most interesting point I've seen made is the question of what does the >> new Apple A4 CPU bring to the table? Oh, you didn't notice that Apple is >> building it's own CPU for the iPad? >> >> For the consumer's benefit, I expect that it will be the most power stingy >> CPU that has ever been seen in an Apple product, cycles per milliwatt it may >> beat everything else. That's what PA Semi was building for the defense >> marketplace when Apple bought them. >> >> So I just googled and found a chip commentator who predicted it would be >> the best power/watt, power/dollar, and power/cubic-mm system on a chip ever >> built. >> >> But for Steve Job's peace of mind, wanna bet it incorporates a silicon >> lock down which will require delaminating the chip packaging and applying an >> electron microscope to jail break? It will not run anything that Apple has >> not approved. The consumer experience will not exceed Apple's expectations, >> except when they're fooled, and they'll probably have the backdoors >> necessary to fix those problems, too. >> >> -- rec -- >> > >
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