“A site by the name of AppleLeaks today posted photos of what is claimed to be the logic board from a next-generation iPhone model,” Eric Slivka reports for MacRumors.
“The report is unsure about whether the board is from an upgraded iPhone 5 model or a cheaper ‘iPhone 4S’ model Apple is also said to be planning to launch, but the images do add more detail to the picture that is beginning to come together,” Slivka reports. “Notably, the relatively large area on the front of the logic board designed to house the main processor for the device is rectangular in nature on the new board, suggesting that it is designed for the rectangular A5 system-on-a-chip found in the iPad 2 rather than the square A4 chip found in the iPhone 4 and original iPad.”
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Slivka reports, “Apple is of course expected to use the A5 in the iPhone 5, but there has been some question as to whether Apple would step up to the A5 for its cheaper iPhone 4S model or continue to use the A4 in order to hold costs down.”
Much more in the full article, including photos, here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
The A4 is a competent processor, and a low-budget iPhone would be fine with it. A5 in iPhone 5 makes sense and maintains premium performance for premium phone. The one thing that could change this outlook is if the economy of scale dictates that it is more cost-effective to produce the A5 and put it in both iPhones, retiring the A4 production lines.
I am not aware of the relative costs of the A4 and A5. But it seems possible to me that there may be efficiencies and economies of scale that would actually make it cheaper to move everything to the A5 rather than keeping the A4 in the mix.