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Apple's Lightning Digital AV Adapter is a Full-Fledged Computer

Wait, ALL Lightning cables have 256MB of ram? Why can't my iPod touch 5 use it. :c

Seriously though, what the **** could they POSSIBLY need a complete computer for in a god damn cable for?
 
samcraig said:
Yes. You're always right. My only intention in being here is to turn a story into a negative one for Apple. :rolleyes:
...
Let me know how completely wrong I must be after you define what conjecture is to me.
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My point is iPad never had an equal components that was "shifted" to the adapter since its previous video output didn't require encoding. You didn't read the article and tried to spin the story into Apple squeezing extra profit on iPad by taking components off it, which obviously isn't the case since the earlier iPad just outputted the raw stream.

firewood said:
It is unknown how many ARM chips the iPad has in it. The ARM CEO implied it was several in the original iPhone. There are processors of unknown types hidden in many of the radio controllers, sensors and special function blocks.
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I think we can agree this ARM chip, coupled with 256MB of RAM is much heftier than whatever ARM block earlier iPad had separate from the main SoC and it's not a function that was required in the earlier iPad. I was refuting samcraig's claim that Apple has simply moved the parts and its function off the iPad and into the digital adapter.

bumblebritches5 said:
Wait, ALL Lightning cables have 256MB of ram? Why can't my iPod touch 5 use it. :c

Seriously though, what the **** could they POSSIBLY need a complete computer for in a god damn cable for?
Click to expand...

iPod Touch 4th gen could really use it :|
 
AidenShaw said:
??

A device without input devices, output devices or a display is now a "full-fledged computer".

Boggles the mind.

My espresso-maker runs Linux - but I'd never consider it to be a "full-fledged computer".

My Tivo runs PowerPC Linux - but I'd never consider it to be a "full-fledged computer".

My network hub runs Linux - but I'd never consider it to be a "full-fledged computer".

My RAID controller card has a quad core processor and 512 MiB of RAM - but I'd never consider it to be a "full-fledged computer".
Click to expand...

You are making the fatal mistake of confusing a computer (HARDWARE that does ONE thing: calculations called computations thus computer) and an Operating System which does MANY things (SOFTWARE that receives output and input from a USER to communicate to and from a computer)

Hence a full-fledged computer requires a CPU, a power source, and RAM. NOTHING ELSE.

All the rest is arbitrary based on the needs of the USER. A computer will compute regardless of whether it has a GPU, monitor, or anything else.

So to correct your statement:

Your espresso-maker IS NOT a computer because it requires one to function and its purpose is not to make computations, but to make beverages.

Your Tivo IS A FULL-FLEDGED COMPUTER because it is a stand-alone machine that makes computations.

Your network hub IS NOT a computer because it requires one to function (no processor unless standalone in which case, it would be a computer).

Your RAID controller card IS NOT a computer because it requires one to function (no processor unless standalone in which case, it would be a computer).

Of course, full-fledged is a subjective term and can be argued upon but from a completely literal standpoint, I interpret full-fledged as meaning the most strict definition of computer.

So if a machine CONTAINS a computer, the machine itself is not a computer. If a machine REQUIRES a computer, the machine itself is not a computer.
If a machine's PURPOSE is beyond the scope of making computations it is not a computer.
If a machine's SOLE PURPOSE it to make computations, it is a computer.

So again, the adapter IS a computer because it COMPUTES. This is its purpose. Any other cable (ex: HDMI) is NOT a computer as the COMPUTATIONS are done in the PC or TV which sends SIGNALS through the cable.
 
1. Panic is making several assumptions here. We just don't know all the details yet.
2. I edit a lot of video. Anytime I can off load the processing of video to a high end card it is worth the investment of multiple thousands of dollars. Video cards these days are powerful computers in their own right. How is this cable any different?
3. That being said, I always think simpler is better.
 
designaholic said:
The same amount of RAM as my first Mac... nuts! :eek:
Click to expand...

64x mine ;)

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mcfmullen said:
You are making the fatal mistake of confusing a computer (HARDWARE that does ONE thing: calculations called computations thus computer) and an Operating System which does MANY things (SOFTWARE that receives output and input from a USER to communicate to and from a computer)

Hence a full-fledged computer requires a CPU, a power source, and RAM. NOTHING ELSE.

All the rest is arbitrary based on the needs of the USER. A computer will compute regardless of whether it has a GPU, monitor, or anything else.

So to correct your statement:

Your espresso-maker IS NOT a computer because it requires one to function and its purpose is not to make computations, but to make beverages.

Your Tivo IS A FULL-FLEDGED COMPUTER because it is a stand-alone machine that makes computations.

Your network hub IS NOT a computer because it requires one to function (no processor unless standalone in which case, it would be a computer).

Your RAID controller card IS NOT a computer because it requires one to function (no processor unless standalone in which case, it would be a computer).

Of course, full-fledged is a subjective term and can be argued upon but from a completely literal standpoint, I interpret full-fledged as meaning the most strict definition of computer.

So if a machine CONTAINS a computer, the machine itself is not a computer. If a machine REQUIRES a computer, the machine itself is not a computer.
If a machine's PURPOSE is beyond the scope of making computations it is not a computer.
If a machine's SOLE PURPOSE it to make computations, it is a computer.

So again, the adapter IS a computer because it COMPUTES. This is its purpose. Any other cable (ex: HDMI) is NOT a computer as the COMPUTATIONS are done in the PC or TV which sends SIGNALS through the cable.
Click to expand...

Well said =)
 
PracticalMac said:
I am beginning to wonder if Apple is taking a loss for each Lighting cable they produce!
Click to expand...

Apple taking a loss on something they produce? You're not being serious, I hope. This is Apple we're talking about. . .not Google or Amazon. Apple wants to make money from selling content AND hardware to run the content.
 
ikramerica said:
In order to make the iPhone lighter and thinner (something not demanded by the customer, but by marketing), they took out most of the onboard processing of video, audio, etc. But they didn't cut the cost of the unit.
Click to expand...

WHAT! This is simply not true. The iPhone can send out 1080p video; it is the Lightning connector which performs poorly due to it compressing the video stream it receives from the iPhone. Why Apple did this is unknown -- possibly related to future product announcements -- and it's certainly a worse result for customers, but this has NOTHING to do with the iPhone 5 hardware.

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nostaws said:
1. Panic is making several assumptions here. We just don't know all the details yet.
2. I edit a lot of video. Anytime I can off load the processing of video to a high end card it is worth the investment of multiple thousands of dollars. Video cards these days are powerful computers in their own right. How is this cable any different?
3. That being said, I always think simpler is better.
Click to expand...

Panic did a comparison with video output from this connector and with an AirPlay stream, using the same video source. The artifacting on the video in both cases was the same. So while not proven positive, it seems likely that at the least this connector is using the same video compression codec as AirPlay. And what is *proven* is that the Lightning connector is not passing through the pristine 1080p video that the iPhone 5 is sending.
 
The company that provides tats on the market share for PCs should count these adapters as PCs too and Apple will clearly come out on top. Way to go Apple! Why to use simple stuff when you can use an overdesigned cables/adapters and charge for them through the nose?
 
I wonder if lightning has the bandwidth to do raw 1080p. If so, I imagine they could've used displayport -- 1080p60 should only require 2 displayport lanes which should make it possible to use 8 pins (or less). Then they could've made an active displayport -> HDMI adapter instead of using this SoC to decode an mpeg stream and output it as HDMI
 
Well, unlike their computers and phones Apple adapters clearly have the best specs in the industry: fasters CPUs and more RAM :D
 
AidenShaw said:
??

A device without input devices, output devices or a display is now a "full-fledged computer".

Boggles the mind.

My espresso-maker runs Linux - but I'd never consider it to be a "full-fledged computer".

My Tivo runs PowerPC Linux - but I'd never consider it to be a "full-fledged computer".

My network hub runs Linux - but I'd never consider it to be a "full-fledged computer".

My RAID controller card has a quad core processor and 512 MiB of RAM - but I'd never consider it to be a "full-fledged computer".
Click to expand...

While those devices might not be full-fledged computers, in all technicality they are or very well could be. Though I'm not saying it would be a powerful computer or a computer that could do anything "useful" like we are used to what they do, but in all technicality they are computers.
 
Pretty sure Lightning is just a lane of PCI Express, and that any peripheral is an adapter for this lane, and that this device is a graphics adapter on this PCI Express lane for the host.
 
macsrcool1234 said:
Yet more proof that lightning is a junky and expensive connector. 2013 and can't output 1080p?

This is the year of the Android.
Click to expand...

This is why I don't really come around anymore. Stupid comments everywhere and the mods don't care because page views are awesome. Money > Quality. It's just the way it is.
 
mozumder said:
Pretty sure Lightning is just a lane of PCI Express, and that any peripheral is an adapter for this lane, and that this device is a graphics adapter on this PCI Express lane for the host.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure you're wrong. There's no PCI bus in an iPhone or iPad. ARM systems use the AMBA bus.
 
This definitely does seem like a sloppy work around.

"We have thunderbolt.... and we have lightning" -Schiller at iPhone5 event ;)

a deceptive statement omitting that it is not even USB3 compatible. Not like I have a USB 3.0 machine anyways..
 
mozumder said:
Pretty sure Lightning is just a lane of PCI Express, and that any peripheral is an adapter for this lane, and that this device is a graphics adapter on this PCI Express lane for the host.
Click to expand...
You're confusing Lightning and Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt is more or less an external PCIe lane. Lighting is a unique (and rather unusual), completely reconfigruable bus with wildly different (currently much slower) specs and (more flexible) behavior.

This is somewhat more akin to the USB-video adapters you can buy on the cheap, but really appears to be the closest to a hardware codec box.
 
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portishead said:
This is why I don't really come around anymore. Stupid comments everywhere and the mods don't care because page views are awesome. Money > Quality. It's just the way it is.
Click to expand...


Yeah, I am pretty new to visiting here. I am already thinking some of this stuff I read here is a buzzkill of all the apple products I have and enjoy.
Originally I thought I would come here to interact with others that are just as excited about the apple products we all have or want. but instead it's mostly a bunch of complaining.

I am taking delivery later today of my 27" Imac and after reading here I will be paranoid about how many things I can expect to be wrong with it.. :(
 
Wondering if a future firmware update will enable other options / resolutions / etc.... future products? If its a tiny computer maybe they did it so it can be updated.
 
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