“The Apple A7 is a benchmark beast, and Apple accomplished this through big improvements in their CPU, GPU, the addition of ARM v8 instructions, and Apple driver and software optimizations,” Patrick Moorhead reports for Forbes. “Apple has an architectural license from ARM, meaning they can literally design the entire CPU with their own IP instead licensing the design from ARM. With an ARM architectural license, Apple can improve the CPUs in many ways: increasing the size or number of integer execution or floating point units, improving memory subsystem, adding cache memory, and many other ways.”
“The Apple A7 SoC also integrated ARM’s new architecture, called ‘v8’ which includes the capability for 64-bit memory addressability,” Moorhead reports. “The improvements Apple made to the A7 CPU paid off when you look at the figures in the AnandTech article. The article cites, ‘integer performance is up 44% on average, while floating point performance is up by 67%.’ Competitively, the Apple A7 fared well against the competition on CPU benchmarks, too, many times beating out reference silicon platforms and even tablet platforms, an impressive feat. The iPhone 5s even outperformed phones at the same price point by 2X, no small feat.”
Moorheaqd writes, “I would be remiss if I didn’t bring in Apple’s software capabilities as it relates to these benchmarks… Apple can pull the hardware, software and application lever to improve performance and they did with the A7 [and iOS 7]… The improvements Apple made with the A7 are truly incredible, and they really went against the grain in their choices. With an industry is obsessed with more cores, they went with fewer, larger and efficient cores. With people expecting v8 and 64-bit ARM in late 2014, Apple brings it out in 2013 with full Xcode support and many performance optimizations. With almost no sightings of Imagination’s Rogue graphics, Apple has it productized and optimized first.”
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: B, b, but where’s the “innovation?” (heavy sarcasm)
Related articles:
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Apple’s new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c arrive in stores on Friday, September 20th – September 17, 2013
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Apple’s 64-bit iPhone 5s is by far the fastest smartphone in the world – September 18, 2013
Ben Bajarin: Apple’s new iOS 7 will cause consumers to discover their iPhones all over again – September 18, 2013
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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
Apple’s new iPhone 5S likely to be in exceptionally short supply – 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
iPhone 5s pre-orders quickly sell out in China; gold iPhone 5s sells out quickest of all – September 17, 2013
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Apple iPhone 5s camera leaps two years ahead of entire camera industry – all cameras, not just smartphone cameras – September 13, 2013
Apple changes the world again, propels biometrics into the mainstream with iPhone 5s’ Touch ID – September 12, 2013
iPhone 5s: Once again Apple leaps ahead with Touch ID fingerprint recognition; a big enterprise win for Apple – September 10, 2013
Apple reveals flagship iPhone 5s with Touch ID, the world’s first and only 64-bit smartphone – September 10, 2013
Is this the same guy quoted at AllThingsD?
“Adding 64-bit processor capabilities adds nothing to the user experience today, as it would requires over four gigabytes of memory,” Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights and Strategy, and a former executive at AMD, told AllThingsD. “Most phones today only have one to two gigabytes of memory, and it will be years before the norm is four.”
Good catch! I remember that asshat of a comment. Maybe the Nyquil wore off.
Read the first paragraph. Glad-handing yourself much, Patrick? Trying to deflect from your asshattery?
After the usual FUD surrounding any major Apple release clears, the reality and truth shines through.
All sold out of those high end pricy iPhone 5S iOS devices. That can’t be? Lets tank the stock value again. You know, because Android is winning in markets Apple isn’t in markets where no money can be made. So, is the iPhone 5S sold out in China too? Are you sure Apple can’t sell and make money in the iPhone market?
Also, if “Apple Japan” is making the battery, who is making the A7 chip? And who or what is “Apple Japan”?
We can’t assume that Apple Japan is making the battery, just because the battery has “Apple Japan” on it. I believe the battery also has “Apple Thailand” as well.
It may very well be Apple Japan had to have the battery pushed through some government/international safety certification process and all we’re seeing is the mark of approval from that process.
I’ve seen it speculated that Samsung is the foundry for A7, along with others. I’ve seen no definitive proof or statements from Apple on the subject. You state it like it is an uncontested fact. Would you share your source for that info?
I just found the iFixit article that states evidence of the A7 being produced at Samsung. That puts it to rest.
Ouch!
Apparently Chipworks states the A7 is being manufactured by Samsung –
http://www.macworld.com/article/2049094/apples-m7-coprocessor-once-was-lost-now-is-found.html
Are you still complaining about the stock price? There are other stocks out there you know. Try NFLX or AMZN or even GOOG. They’re all up today. At what point don’t you realize that you don’t know how to invest?
Yeah they are manufacturing it. It’s still a Apple designed A7 as far as I know. Apple is only using Samsung fab sources because the Taiwanese are doing the A8 for Apple for the next iOS devices. A7 is still a Apple chip through and through, Samsung is just the grunt.
Anyone who successfully got his hands on an iPhone 5S, please post your Geekbench score!
http://browser.primatelabs.com/ios-benchmarks
Looks like Anandtech was correct in guessing it. I wonder if Samsung will slap these chips into their slavishly copied from Apple Galaxy phones or whatever they will call them next.
I can’t wait to see this in the iPad 5.
But you can’t answer the iPhone with barbecue sauce on your fingers.
Nor can you get actors pretending to be real people in an airport to feign interest in your awesomeness.
Apple pulls ahead yet again!