Absence of A5 on the iPod touch 5G – Analysis
by bndctc Posted on November 8, 2011
The absence of the dual-core A5 processor, which first debuted in the iPad 2G, on the fifth generation of the iPod Touch was surprising for some, but not for others. There were very good reasons (for Apple) to exclude the A5, which I will list below.
1. Devaluing iPhone 4S: As the iPhone 4S was mainly a hardware spec upgrade, rather than a design change, and as a result, the only new selling points was the hardware side. In order to not jeopardise the sales of the iPhone 4S, both the hardware and software (In terms of Siri and not iOS 5) changes was exclusive to the iPhone 4S.
2. Siri’s exclusivity to iPhone 4S: With the dual-core A6 processor apparently a requirement for Siri, this meant that, as a result, Siri was exclusive to the iPhone 4S only, which would increase demand for the iPhone 4S. If A5 was available for the iPod Touch as well, then this would mean that Siri would have to be available for the iPod touch, which would ‘steal’ some of the customers who wanted the novelty of using or found the usefulness in Siri.
3. Supply of processor: Aside from the cost of the A6 processor, as demand for the iPhone 4S was (surprisingly*) high, it is likely that all the processors manufactured needed to be diverted to and allocated for the iPhone 4S.
4. Stable Price: The cost of components are likely to be quite high, for the iPod Touch, with the addition of the new HD camera, as well as the retina display, which was introduced in the previous release of the iPod touch. In order to keep the price stable and not increase it (Which will decrease demand for the iPod Touch as a result of the increase), the exclusion of the A6 was needed.
