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Mark W. Hibben
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About Mark
- Mark W. Hibben
- Mark Hibben received his MS in Electrophysics from USC in 1994, and has worked since then in the aerospace industry.
I guess, the only thing, that is different in the processor in the FCC version is the marking.
ReplyDeleteThe processor in the FCC version is branded the same way as the Processors of the entire Phone/iPod touch line:
[Apple Logo] 339S0100 ARM iPad
compared to
[Apple Logo] 339S0030 ARM iPhone
[Apple Logo] 339S0036 ARM iPhone 3G
[Apple Logo] 339S0048 ARM iPod touch
[Apple Logo] 339S0073 ARM iPhone 3G[S]
[Apple Logo] 339S0075 ARM iPod touch 3rd Gen.
I am pretty shore that the A4 is done by the same Apple SoC team, that has done the processors of the iPhone/iPod touch as well (very likely in cooperation with Samsung). PA Semi of course has nothing to do with this processor. It was just Apples marketing, to decide to call the processor of the iPad the "Apple A4" (wich happened just in the time between the prototype went to the FCC and the production of the finalizes version of the iPad).
The big question is, why did Apple start calling this processor an "Apple custom SoC", which is technically as much an Apple custom SoC as the processors in the iPhone or iPod touch? (They could have also done it, like they did with the iPhone or iPod touch: delivering no specs at all about the processor inside the iPad.) Is it with future products in mind? To establish a kind of common knowledge that Apple is doing custom silicon. For instance the next generation computers, which are meant to be the successors to the existing Macintosh line and which are powered by Apple custom silicon done by the former PA Semi staff. A preparation for the switch away from Intel (wich will hopefully come sooner rather than later)?.
"A preparation for the switch away from Intel (wich will hopefully come sooner rather than later)?."
ReplyDeleteHopefully not. It doesn't make any sense.