“Apple’s latest chip technology won’t appear in the next-generation iPad until June 2012 at the earliest, according to a firm that tracks the mobile processor industry,” Brooke Crothers reports for CNET.
“Getting new processor technology out the door (remember, Apple is also in the chip design business) is a Herculean task for even seasoned chip manufacturers like Intel,” Crothers reports. “It will certainly be no different for Apple, whose next chip, dubbed the ‘A6,’ may not make an appearance in the iPad 3 until later in 2012, said The Linley Group, a chip consulting firm.”
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Crothers reports, “The rumored A6 is a major step-up in chip design. Not only does it contain four processor cores (the existing Apple A5 has two cores) but will use so-called 3D technology, Linley Group senior analyst Kevin Krewell said this week in a research note, citing a report in the Taiwan Economic News.”
Read more in the full article here.
I can come up with any number of basic sense rumours every day (let alone nonsensical rumours, which are even more popular these days in the media).
Why no one offers to pay me for this?
Because you make sense. 😉
Fortunately, Apple does not confer with the Lindley Group on product or release planning. Neither does the National Weather Service.
Nor does Apple rely on the next generation of chips, screens or batteries to make its current generation of devices killer products.
That’s why the iPhone 3G is still the number 2 or 3 selling smart phone in the U.S.
Apple has come to dominate seasoned PC vendors like Dell and HP (at least in terms of profit). So I think it unwise to make judgments of Apple’s capabilities with respect to the A6 CPU simply because it would be daunting even for “…seasoned chip manufacturers like Intel.” For one thing, Apple only has to satisfy Apple. It can continue rolling out A5-based products until it chooses to make the transition, and it can do so by individual product line. For instance, it would make sense to initially release the A6 on the iPad3.
There are many companies who have underestimated Apple. Most of those have gone down in flames already. The rest are smelling smoke.
This is just a rumor, like any other. It could easily be next June before we see the A6, but I hope not!
It makes no sense for Apple to upgrade processors faster than once a year (even that is pretty aggressive). They need to have sufficient time to recoup their development investment. The A5 came out in March 2011. I predict the A6 will come out in March 2012 (or later, if Apple changes the refresh cycle for the iPad).
Report actually makes sense. Even mid 2012 is very aggressive. At presen Apple basically competes with itself. It does not make much sense to cannibalize iPad2 so fast. Plus it will give them more time to include more major improvements and keep the competitors guessing … They copy darn fast.