“Apple’s 64-bit A7 processor in the iPhone 5s is more a marketing stunt than a technical enhancement and though it will not deliver any immediate benefits to smartphone users, there are other reasons to move to 64-bit, a Qualcomm executive said on Tuesday,” Agam Shah reports for Techworld. “‘I know there’s a lot of noise because Apple did [64-bit] on their A7,’ said Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Qualcomm, in an interview. ‘I think they are doing a marketing gimmick. There’s zero benefit a consumer gets from that.'”
“‘Predominantly… you need it for memory addressability beyond 4GB. That’s it. You don’t really need it for performance, and the kinds of applications that 64-bit get used in mostly are large, server-class applications,” said Chandrasekher, who previously ran Intel’s mobile platforms group,” Shah reports. “The 5s is the first smartphone with a 64-bit chip, and almost a year ahead of its Android smartphone rivals… Apple claims the iPhone 5s is two times faster than its predecessor, and that the A7 brings desktop-style computing to the smartphone.”
“Qualcomm is the one of the world’s top suppliers of chips for smartphones and tablets, and its Snapdragon chips are used in Android and Windows Phone smartphones,” Shah reports. “The chip maker ultimately will deliver a 64-bit mobile chip, but sees the move as more beneficial from engineering, chip design and OSes standpoints. ‘From an engineering efficiency standpoint it just makes sense to go do that. Particularly the OS guys will want it at some point in time,’ said Chandrasekher, who declined to say when the its 64-bit chip would be introduced.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Desperate, outright lies from a sales guy who doesn’t have anything to offer when massively outclassed by Apple.
Sounds very familiar.
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at Qualcomm, Microsoft, Intel, Samsung, et al. the day Apple unveiled the 64-bit A7-powered iPhone 5s! Enjoy the bottom of the barrel, 32-bit antique dealers!
iPhone 5s is the world’s first and only 64-bit smartphone. It exists for much more than being able to address over 4GB of RAM. Please see related articles below for more information.
Related articles:
Apple takes the high-end with their 64-bit A7; leaves rivals to scrap for survival in low-end – October 2, 2013
Apple’s 64-bit A7 is no gimmick: New iPhone 5s offers major performance leap – September 25, 2013
Ars Technica: Apple’s Touch ID and 64-bit A7 are deceptively large advances in the iPhone’s evolution – September 24, 2013
Apple iPhone 5s reviews are universally positive, many crown iPhone 5s the best smartphone – September 19, 2013
Engadget reviews Apple iPhone 5c: A breath of fresh air that will be wildly popular this holiday season – September 18, 2013
Apple’s 64-bit iPhone 5s is by far the fastest smartphone in the world – September 18, 2013
John Gruber reviews Apple iPhone 5s: ‘This is what innovation, real innovation, looks like’ – September 18, 2013
AnandTech reviews iPhone 5s: Apple’s 64-bit A7 is seriously impressive – September 18, 2013
TechCrunch reviews Apple iPhone 5s: The best smartphone available – September 18, 2013
USA Today’s Baig reviews Apple iPhone 5s: ‘Makes the best smartphone even better’ – September 18, 2013
Mossberg reviews Apple iPhone 5s: ‘The best smartphone on the market’ – September 18, 2013
It’s a sales gimmick until they release it, and then it will be innovation.
Exactly
Except it will most probably be useless innovation because
1. Android won’t be 64-bit
2. The apps won’t be 64-bit
3. The OEMs and telcos will wait a couple years before they upgrade their proprietary UIs and crapware to 64 bit.
Same thing they (WS SHYSTERS) did to AMD when they came out with opteron. They bashed 64 bit until their who’re intel came out with its own 64 bit.
Exactly! When the Athlon64 (AMD64) was released Intel make lots of claims for why 64bit wasn’t worth it, and then secretly rushed to release their own version.
Apple clearly have a strategy and obviously spending time and money on the A7 wasn’t just for a marketing gimmick. Personally I don’t think we’ll see the breakthrough on the iPhone 5s with A7. I see the real innovation coming with the new iPad (5) and future products through software/app innovation and expansion of existing software. I am looking forward to seeing exactly what Apple has next in store, especially if their strategy includes desktops.
iCal this one MDN!
“though it will not deliver any immediate benefits to smartphone users”
Yeah, like 2x the speed. Any chip maker who just got slammed by the A7 would have to spout BS like this.
… to users!
That “2x the speed” is an upper limit. The lower limit is “NO increase in speed”.
That little bit of negativity shared, in the year or so it takes them to duplicate the 64-bit feat, a lot more will be taking advantage of that feature – and running 2x as fast. The folks who are buying the 5s now, mostly for the bragging rights or improved camera, will actually be benefitting from their choice.
And THEN the 64-bit 3rd-party apps for Android will start being released. 9 months after the iPhone apps started ramping up. Far behind the curve.
Bullshit! First he says:
“‘Predominantly… you need it for memory addressability beyond 4GB. That’s it. You don’t really need it for performance…”
Then he flip-flops and says:
“From an engineering efficiency standpoint it just makes sense to go do that. Particularly the OS guys will want it at some point in time.”
Maybe he missed the fact that at the same time Apple delivered a brand new OS optimized for 64 bit. His “some point in time” is NOW for Apple. It’s years away for Android, if ever.
Virtually every statement he makes, he quickly counters with something exactly the opposite. That’s the true sign of a company caught with its pants down and no idea how it can competitively respond, so the PR spin bin goes into high gear.
… @Bizlaw are saying the same thing. And neither of you are contradicting what I said.
Sure … iOS 7 is the first software available optimized for 64 bit. But, even THAT doesn’t REQUIRE it.
As you said, supporting MY comment, “It’s years away for Android”. Sounds like my “Far behind the curve”, yes?
That “2x the speed” is an upper limit. The lower limit is “NO increase in speed”.
That’s what I was talking about. If the operating system is built for it, 64 bit computing is faster, period – more data transferred with each flop.
the only thing Qualcomm have is their CDMA based chips patented and owned by them.
The sales guy! LOL!
Case closed!
“32-bit antique dealers!”
This is why we employees love, love, love, MDN here at a certain tech company.
It looks like the search is over. Microsoft has found its next CEO.
Baghdad Bob isn’t available?
Then explain how a 2 core 1.3 ghz CPU outperforms your 1.9 ghz 4core CPU? Right no answer Qualcomm
Ha ha served.
Another marketing guy (like Ballmer), in over his head. After numerous people have explained the technical side benefits and after there have demonstrable benefits, this guy spouts this BS. It is quite apparent that Apple caught just about everyone by surprise with the A7 and now they are all stuttering nonsense to justify their ineptness. It would be better if they shut up than show their ignorance.
This appears to he Apple’s new secrecy plan — let the leaks on form, screen, camera, colors, etc. get out slowly. Those are the things competitors can copy pretty quickly anyway. But lock away the truly important upgrades, like the A7 and 64-bit OS, the things that take a long time to copy and implement well and give Apple a long-term advantage.
“Antique dealer”
New classic MDN headline.
I think they’re just blowing steam to try and cover up the real benefit the A7 possesses; the ARMv8 instruction set, this is where the real gains in efficiency and power come from. While 64-bit’ness does allow for a larger addressable range, Apple was much more interested the advantages of the ARMv8 ISA. Which is, in fact, the next generation of the ARM architecture.
So during a time when Apple decided to move forward and create something new, everyone else just kept stacking and bolting what was available. Now they’re all trying to save face because a “toy” company just kicked their dicks in the dirt.
Apple should’ve never sold off their portion of ARM, could you imagine them dragging Samsung into court for ARM based IP? LOL
Anand Chandrasekher said “you need it for memory addressability beyond 4GB. That’s it. You don’t really need it for performance”
Well the iPhone 5S doesn’t have 4GB of RAM, but is twice as fast as it’s predecessor. It seems to be delivering performance very well indeed.
Speed is obviously desirable, otherwise Android manufacturers wouldn’t keep trying to cheat at benchmarks to give the illusion of speed.
Instead of cheating, Apple has put in the effort to provide a genuine speed increase by delivering 64 bit computing at such an early point. The Android world has nothing in place to match this advance, so they have no option but to try and talk it down until such time as they can also offer 64 bit.
64 bit is a gimmick. And then goes on to say:
. “The chip maker ultimately will deliver a 64-bit mobile chip, but sees the move as more beneficial from engineering, chip design and OSes standpoints. ‘From an engineering efficiency standpoint it just makes sense to go do that. Particularly the OS guys will want it at some point in time.
Whenever a leader in a company makes those statements you know they are very worried. It’s a defensive response and basically means they have nothing.
ARM generated a lot of cash for Apple when they needed it. Also they had established the company and it was able to stand on its own 2 feet. What will be amazing to conceive is that in maybe 5 years time most computing devices will be powered using ARM tech. That would be a spectacular transition from X186.
Someone correct me if I am wrong. 8 bit computing refers to an 8 bit DATA width. 16 bit computing refers to an 16 bit DATA width. 32 bit computing refers to an 32 bit DATA width.
So why would 64 bit computing refer to 64 bit ADDRESS bus. Yes, you need 64 bits of address to access above 4GB of data. But thats not what a 64 bit A7 is about. It is NOT about addressing more than 4GB of RAM….as this bozo from QCOM who should know better since he is a micro engineer by trade! The A7 is ALL…..(well lets say MOSTLY if ALL is too strong a word)….is MOSTLY about moving 64 bits of DATA. In data intensive apps, such as photography, video, even audio, moving/processing large chunks of data is very much more efficient. More efficient in both speed and power.
What am I missing?
What you are missing is the Qualcomm hack is being paid to shill for his company.
Nothing. You’re right, the A7 can move data 64-bits at a time, but if your app isn’t programmed for 64-bit, it’ll move it at 32 like you programmed it for. (Actually,it’s the compiler that does it, not necessarily “you”.) 64-bit integers can represent much much larger numbers than 32 can, but the need for such large numbers is relatively limited to apps that do some pretty intricate math. And like someone already said, the enhanced instruction set of the A7 goes a long way in making the code more efficient.
A hungry fox came upon a bunch of grapes, but try as it may, it could not reach them. Finally, the fox went off still hungry telling itself the grapes were not at all tasty. Very sour in fact.
QCOM is the fox with the sour grapes.
It’s better that Apple has a 64-bit processor early and can work whatever kinks need to be worked out of it. The engineers get the design experience and Apple can do whatever testing needs to be done to optimize it and possibly improve yields if need be. Apple will have everything in place when it’s really, really needed. It’s always good to look towards the future. It’s not hurting Apple to start using the A7 now. Qualcomm doesn’t know Apple’s intentions so they’re not qualified to judge whether it’s just a marketing gimmick or not. It could just be considered early product development on Apple’s part.
You’re way behind the curve here.
You actually need to read the related articles and learn what 64 bit can do right now, and then come back and post and stop embarrassing yourself by making up false claims and looking like a dope.
Aside from ‘speed’, Apple moved to consolidate development tools to where all devs will be programming in a single, more consistent 64 bit environment.
Over time it will make the software versions for OSX and iOS easier to get out the door in less time.
The name of the game is not “iPhone” development at Apple, but cross device ecosystem efficiency for users at home, travel & work & that means they have to pull in the developers.
Apple leads in this, because they know it is mandatory if they are going to continue growth.
Qualcomm has always had radio chips in iPhones. Were they passed up this time?
One word to describe this guy. “DORK” 😉
The older that Ballmer clip gets, the more amazing it is to watch.
That “deer in the headlights” reaction is remarkable. MS had barely just come out with their Zune a few months earlier, and now they were knocked on their butt again by Apple.
Anyone studying body language could be kept busy by this clip alone for some time. You can tell that he wants to crawl out of his own skin.
The money quote from that clip is where he says that in the end Apple is going to have to keep up with innovation that MS will be driving. I’ve never heard anyone use the word “innovation” more than MS executives have over the years. I never used to hear Steve Jobs use the word at all. Some things speak for themselves. If you’re truly innovating, you don’t have to tell people that. It’s understood by anyone with any sense.
“Synergy” and “transformation” indeed.
That is such an insightful comment right there. The more you emphasise a term the less it actually applies usually and certainly in the case of Microsoft.
Oh yeah, and another thing — the part where he says that the iPhone doesn’t make a very good email machine. Hilarious stuff. Just drop dead funny. It would be impossible to parody this guy.
But the dum and dummers love him and chirp on about how sincere he is because he has pics of his kids on his desk. Talk about the blind leading the blind.
Talk about wrap yourself up in confused messages eh. ‘Its pointless but makes sense.’ ‘Offers no advantages in mobile but we will do it asap’. Blah, blah, blah.
When they do just wait for all the hype about its advantages eh. Talk about transparent self serving garbage.
I hope such marketing idiocy keeps finding suckers. It ensures that Apple will reign supreme for a long time.
The A7 reportedly is made by Samsung. So how could they keep it secret?
HAHAHAHA!
Chant the Qualcomm Song along with me:
🎶Lamety lamety lame lame lame
Lamety lamety lame lame lame
Lamety lamety lame lame lame
Lamety lamety lame lame lame lame🎶
First, denounce 64-bit as mere marketing gimmickry.
Then hurl forth excuses as to why WE don’t have it and how it really is important and here’s why and that’s why we’re gonna have it too really really soon and then everyone will be really happy and we will no longer be…
🎶Lamety lamety lame lame lame
Lamety lamety lame lame lame
Lamety lamety lame lame lame
Lamety lamety lame lame lame lame🎶