“Apple is looking to recruit a Senior Engineer with experience in manufacturing chipsets using cutting edge process technologies, perhaps providing some clues to processors that will drive the next generation of mobile devices like the iPad 3,” Mark reports for AppleBitch.
“The company is looking for an Engineer that will be involved in the preparation for the chipsets that will drive the next generation of mobile devices via SoC or System on a Chip design,” Mark reports. “The current A5 processor that is found in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S utilizes 45-nanometer process engineering and any future A6 and A7 processors will likely have to be engineered using sub-45nm process technologies.”
Read more in the full article here.
This website is unbelievably UGLY. Definition of irony, given its content. Thank god for Reader.
Me thinks that it is a bit late in the day to be sorting out the iPad 3 Mark, the iPad 4 or 5 on the other hand …
Agree; this article is ignorant comment. Both A6 and iPad 3 designs are finalized at this time. It takes about half year to convert it to mass production.
So any new Senior Engineers would only needed for A7 or later SoCs.
Hope that doesn’t mean no quad core A6 in the iPad 3.
There does not need to be a new “A-chip” for every new model of iPad and iPhone. Or Apple could call it an “A6” by improving on the A5 in other ways, such as graphics performance; it does not necessarily have to he “quad core.”
I think quad core will come in 2013, and when the next major release of the Mac’s OS (after Lion) is released at about the same time, there will be a (non-Intel) MacBook Air using it too, in addition to iPad and iPhone.
Apple needs a quad core A6 by next year, not 2013. All of the high end Android tablets will have quad core chips (in fact the first one, the Asus Transformer, is scheduled for release next month). Not only that, but there will be quad core Android smartphones for 2012 as well. Everything is about quad core chips and high def displays next year and I don’t want Apple late to the party.
A balance of great hardware and great software is what makes Apple great. If there are Android tablets with quad-core CPUs before “iPad 3” (or whatever the next iPad is called) is released, the main reason is because they need something to replace the “but our tablet plays Flash” bullet point. Otherwise, they have nothing. So they’ll cram it in there even if it makes no sense, the table overheats, the design is 50% as thicker and heavier, the Android OS can’t take full advantage of the extra cores, and it cuts battery life to 3 hours.
Besides, the trend for the iPad competition is to go “low end.” MY prediction is that during 2012, the tablet competition (Android and otherwise) will give up trying to complete directly with iPad (based on specs, features, and price), because trying (and failing) to do so has been and will continue to be a money-losing proposition. They (the iPad competition) are losing money now, because they can’t produce a profitable “high-end” tablet. How are they going to do it with a quad-core table that is even more expensive to produce, and even more money-losing when the inevitable fire sale arrives?
The primary hope for the iPad competition is to go where Apple will NOT go (at least not in the near term), and that’s the low end. Despite the bad reviews, Kindle Fire will be reasonably successful; that means more competition for Kindle Fire. Low end tablets are not going to have quad-core CPUs.
I think would could happen is the current iPad WILL be the low-end. The current iPad with its 1024x768px display will be reduced in price. The iPad3 with its hi-res display will be priced higher.
Say, $399 and $599 starting prices.
When it’s available, you can buy the original iPad as a “refurb” for $299
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB292LL/A
So, yes… If Apple ever decides to continue the “last year” iPad model when the new model is released, it could easily be offered for $399.
Filed this article under “Duh”.