I use my original iPhone as an iPod and to run all the apps I have purchased. Wifi still works great, apps sync, mobileme etc.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
First Multi-Core Mobile Platform Demonstrated
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Good story by pc mag on the Multi-core ARMs:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2341081,00.asp
In the article TI says the new chip set (based on ARM9 Coretex) can do 1080p video RECORDING:
"TI today unveiled a mobile-phone platform at the Mobile World Congress, capable of recording 1080p video, shooting 20-megapixel images, and playing MP3s for a week on one battery charge. The OMAP 4 platform is the first to use ARM's multi-core Cortex-A9 processor, which can offer up to seven times the computing performance of today's top smartphones, according to TI."
Author of the article speculates that phones based on this tech shouldn't start to appear until 2011:
"OMAP 4 chipsets will go into production in the second half of 2010, so you should see phones based on these chips sometime in 2011. (The Palm Pre 3, perhaps?)"
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2341081,00.asp
In the article TI says the new chip set (based on ARM9 Coretex) can do 1080p video RECORDING:
"TI today unveiled a mobile-phone platform at the Mobile World Congress, capable of recording 1080p video, shooting 20-megapixel images, and playing MP3s for a week on one battery charge. The OMAP 4 platform is the first to use ARM's multi-core Cortex-A9 processor, which can offer up to seven times the computing performance of today's top smartphones, according to TI."
Author of the article speculates that phones based on this tech shouldn't start to appear until 2011:
"OMAP 4 chipsets will go into production in the second half of 2010, so you should see phones based on these chips sometime in 2011. (The Palm Pre 3, perhaps?)"
Beat you to it, see above.
BTW, there is no such thing as ARM9 Cortex. ARM9 is a completely different line of cores. The cortex cores have names that are "Ax" where x is either 8 or 9 (currently). The cortex cores have levels of functionality the other ARM cores don't, like superscalar architectures and out-of-order execution (for the A9).
I didn't say "leave them in the dust" and the technology is NOT left in the dust. At worst it is lagging. Due to the needs to accomplish goals of video and sound editing, especially in relationship to the resolution, the current computer configurations are adequate. If the internet was sped up it might change the playing field. We're at a lag period at this time when the technology development for the higher end processing and memory is slowing down compared to what is capable with reworking cheaper, smaller tech to fit everyday needs/wants, like the iPod and iPhone.
When you show this chart you are breaking down items which need conjoining. Mobile platforms combine - iPod, iPhone, Music and some Apps/Peripherals. So we are looking at $15 B (very approx) versus maybe $9 B for the Macbooks and $6 B for desktops. I am not sure how this chart shows gains vs. outlay, but the portable market grabs MORE people who need MORE software and MORE music, and the software and music are like the fries at McD's--pure cash in pocket.
Apple, in my opinion, should have updated their whole computer line by now. It isn't wise to let things lapse this long. The only business excuse I can contemplate is that there is a large revamp of the working of their non-mobile hardware, but I doubt it is happening that drastically. Maybe a tablet would somehow change all their other devices in some way, but the speculation on a tablet is fantasy at this time.
Sure, HSDPA connectivity is beneficial, but don't forget that there are a lot of iPhone users that use WiFi as much as they use their data plans to connect to the internet. That being said, the Safari App tends freezes or crashes sometimes on very complicated websites, or especially PDF pages. It's not always about how fast you can download something. It's can the iPhone handle it. And running applications faster means WORLDS to me, as I'm sure it does for everyone else.
Multi-core ARMs not only mean running Apps currently available on the iPhone faster, it could mean running Apps that were never pragmatically possible before, especially in the gaming segment, which is very popular at the App Store. Maybe even the possibility of running Apps in the background.
The iPhone 3G hasn't tempted all of us out there who still have 2G's (I bought mine in March because I couldn't wait until June for the 3G). But with a faster processor AND all the upgrades the 3G had on the 2G - that will be a deal maker for me and perhaps other 2G owners like myself, the whole package of upgrades if not for just the processor itself.
Yup- how cool would it be to literally dock your iphone in to a dock that had a mini display port and use a full size screen- and run actual snow leopard- sure- not the fastest thing in the world, but for writing documents and stuff- it would work.
Doubt it, due to heat and/or price reasons.
Possibly. For a mini-tablet, I would be surprised if it did not have multitasking.
might not be the case in the mobile space
Another thing to consider is that the mobile GPUs don't have a lot of extra execution units to throw around. The next gen mobile chips will only have 16 cores available for OpenCL if I recall correctly.
Apples next iPhone could very well be dual core from the users perspective. As long as it addresses user forground app performance and added RAM I'd be happy.
The thing with the mobile space is that it might be more power stingy to run your tasks On separate processors rather than a much faster single processor. Especially on an iPhone type device that always has background programs running.
More computer like is exactly what Apples customers want. You do have a point with respect to firmware isolation but that is a minor issue.
I see the above as a fundamental mistake as iPhone OS is already loaded with apps that load it down and are not likely to benefit greatly from GPU processing. In fact one of the biggest demands on iPhone, background user apps, would not likely benefit much at all from GPU acceleration. GPU acceleration simply isn't the universal solution many think it is.
Another thing to consider is that the mobile GPUs don't have a lot of extra execution units to throw around. The next gen mobile chips will only have 16 cores available for OpenCL if I recall correctly.
Apples next iPhone could very well be dual core from the users perspective. As long as it addresses user forground app performance and added RAM I'd be happy.
I actually want a quad-core graphing calculator.Quad core calculators, and toilets
To solve big equations, graph 3D graphs (not that wireframe-looking stuff, something that actually looks realistic), draw dynamic graphs, etc. fast.
Personally I will settle for copy and paste functions first...
You can use a 3rd party app for copy / paste on the iPhone (iCopy, Magicpad, others?).
I never thought about that.... will there be a multi-core iPod Touch?
That would be more promising than a quad core iPhone in my opinion. Since the iPT doesn't come with a two year contract.
I wonder when we'll see the first actively cooled mobile phones. Imagine a big fat Zalmann Cooler Master strapped on your iPhone
The new iPhone G5.I wonder when we'll see the first actively cooled mobile phones. Imagine a big fat Zalmann Cooler Master strapped on your iPhone
The question of how many processing cores the cellphones of 2010-2011 will have is not remotely as interesting as what kind of functionality is available today and will be available in the near future.
For example, will the iPhone integrate with Logic so that those of us (I believe quite many) who make original recordings will be able to setup and start recordings away from the computer? Or as another member suggested: Will we be able to use the Iphone as a remote for iTunes and Quicktime, perhaps with the Apple TV?
On a more humorous note: When will we get Crystal Chronicles with support for four iPhones?
Apple has a great set of lifestyle electronics, however imho a lot more could be done on integration.
Furthermore, given more than two cores (in some cases given more than one), talking about what individual cores will be doing is like predicting the position of atoms, even for most application developers. Distributing work across computing resources will be done on the OS level, that's what Open CL is for. Application programmers working under an Object Oriented paradigm should think about threading were appropriate and C programmers can just sit back and give pointers.
http://xkcd.com/138/
For example, will the iPhone integrate with Logic so that those of us (I believe quite many) who make original recordings will be able to setup and start recordings away from the computer? Or as another member suggested: Will we be able to use the Iphone as a remote for iTunes and Quicktime, perhaps with the Apple TV?
On a more humorous note: When will we get Crystal Chronicles with support for four iPhones?
Apple has a great set of lifestyle electronics, however imho a lot more could be done on integration.
Furthermore, given more than two cores (in some cases given more than one), talking about what individual cores will be doing is like predicting the position of atoms, even for most application developers. Distributing work across computing resources will be done on the OS level, that's what Open CL is for. Application programmers working under an Object Oriented paradigm should think about threading were appropriate and C programmers can just sit back and give pointers.
http://xkcd.com/138/
True, but that's a different aspect. Try to remember the keynote announcing the original iPhone (if you watched it). The market for mobile phones is way larger than the one for PCs. Apple aimed for 1% market share and so far they did slightly better.
In other words: If the iPhone had the same market share in the mobile phones segment as the Macbook and MBP it would generate more revenue than both of them.
That doesn't mean that laptops are not important anymore - quite to the contrary. But the iPhone ensures that Apple gets a piece of a much larger cake.
It's essential to plan for the day every household already owns 4 ipods and starts wondering why they cost up to 3x more than the competition. Honestly, they can't come up with a new generation which does anything better than the current line (when it comes to playing music). More storage won't convince anyone, because most people don't have 160GB of music to load. A smaller form factor is not a real option (competition is much better anyways). There are also very few ways to improve the user interface. Even my 3G iPod does this quite well.
iPods currently generate more revenue than their core business (laptops). If I was working there, I'd worry. There is no way those 9.1B will come in forever.
edit: BTW: To those people saying that a quad-core will be an incentive to buy a new iPhone: It's marketing. Maybe a single core design would be more effective, but the 4-core design feature seems to convince everyone without any clue about computer architecture to instantly buy it. Please stop it. It's like in 2003 when many people thought 64 bit CPU's are 2 times as fast. Please read a little before you get fooled. I have checked CPU load for some slow applications and it's not CPU-related most of the time.