There's been plenty of speculation as to exactly what the constituent parts of the A4 chip powering Apple's iPad will be.
We know it's ARM-based - what isn't? - but the latest rumours suggest that it's both less and more powerful than we originally thought (if that makes sense).
The less power bit comes as instead of the expected Cortex-A9 part, it's instead said to have an optimised and stripped down single core Cortex-A8 CPU (for battery life); at least that's what Ars Technica reckons.
The more power bit comes as instead of the expected Mali GPU, it's suggested that the A4 uses a version of the Imagination Technologies' PowerVR SGX silicon, as used in the iPhone 3GS.
Common knowledge
This would make complete sense, both in terms of providing backwards compatibility, as well as the potential grunt to power that big 9.7-inch screen; both elements that game developers have expressed concern about.
It's also striking that the chaps from Imagination Technologies (in which Apple is a minority shareholder), while tight lipped at Mobile World Congress, certainly didn't seem down in the mouth. And the company is certainly chipper as it prepares for the Game Developers Conference.
Maybe it knows something we don't yet.
[source: ars technica]
News
Contributing Editor
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.
Top Stories
Feature
May 17th, 2024
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from a battle royale to a console classic remake
Feature
May 16th, 2024
Behind the scenes: How adding sandwich offers to an idle merge game boosted three metrics at once
Events
Valencia Indie Summit 2024 | Europe | May 16th |
Digital Dragons | Europe | May 19th |
GamesBeat Summit 2024 | North America | May 20th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Nordic Game Spring 2024 | Nordic | May 21st |
Impact 2024 - Indie Games | May 23rd | |
MomoCon 2024 | North America | May 24th |
Morocco Gaming Expo | Africa | May 24th |
Popular Stories
Feature
May 14th, 2024
53 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, Battle Guys: Royale, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Feature
May 13th, 2024
Hot Five: Dubai's new Gaming Visa, April's mobile game charts, and Xbox studio closures
Feature
May 14th, 2024