iPad 2 and iPhone 5 to Sport a Dual-Core GPU?

[MacRumors]

With the rumors of a 2048x1536 high resolution screen for the iPad 2, one question that has emerged is what graphics processing unit (GPU) can adequately power the device. AppleInsider claims that the new iPad will use a dual-core SGX543 GPU:

A source familiar with Apple's graphics strategy says the company will not only be upgrading its video core, but also going to multiple cores, a feature that is designed into the SGX543 design. The most likely configuration of Apple's next custom chip is reportedly the SGX543MP2, which pairs two SGX543 cores to work as one, offering around four times the capability of the previous A4 in graphics and video tasks.

We had previously revealed that the latest iOS 4.3 beta SDK had drivers for the new SGX543 GPU, so it should be no surprise that it is the most likely contender to be the next GPU for the iPad. Meanwhile, when it was first announced it was billed as a very capable multi-core chip:

In other words, the SGX543 can have any number of cores from two to sixteen with no change in the driver software or the application. All that complex data/pipeline/thread management is done in hardware. No muss, no fuss.

If Apple indeed is pursuing a very high resolution screen for their iPad 2, it makes sense that they will also have to comparable upgrade the underlying horsepower of the device. Meanwhile, another rumor had pegged Apple's new A5 CPU to also be a multi-core chip.

Article Link: iPad 2 to Sport a Dual-Core GPU?

 

[OrangeSVTguy]

This is going to be one nice iPad. I'm glad I waited for v2.

 

[DELLsFan]

This is exciting news. I can't wait for the new iPad.

 

[Intell]

Better then the April 30, 2010 thing posted earlier.

 

[GFLPraxis]

Dual-core CPU and GPU with a 2048x1536 resolution (above 1080p)?

Color me skeptical- but that said, I think it's time to put the iPad on craigslist. I didn't believe the 960x640 iPhone rumors either; figured that resolution was impossibly high.

 

[sniffies]

God, it's almost like Christmas all over again, dreams-come-true, summer Santa!!!!!!

I still don't believe in retina display, dual-core iPad 2.

 

[spencers]

Posts like these make me happy I skipped Rev.1

 

[MarlboroLite]

The only way such an ipad could ever be sold would be at double the price it is now. It all sounds great...but this high of resolution and the kind of internal upgrades it will require would make it impossible to keep the ipad at its current price point.

 

[Mr. Gates]

It's Nice to see Apple outpace the App developers

Can't wait to see what this thing is capable of.

I was pretty let down by the first iPad

 

[propynyl]

This is the iPad I want. Cameras for document scanning. A retina display for paper-like document viewing. Anyone want to buy an iPad1??

 

[Nishi100]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

This should be able to power the retina display. But manufacturing the panels will be expensive and running infinity blade at 20**x15** would be pushing the GPU.

The GPU could handle web browsing etc. But gaming... I don't know, it could be amazing; it could be rubbish.

However, 3D no glasses displays do exist, at ~10inchs, and this GPU could easily handle gaming in 3D.

 

[OrangeSVTguy]

Better then the April 30, 2010 thing posted earlier.

+1

I think there should also be a mini-dIsplayport in there somewhere too. I can see many people wanting to use this as an external display :d

 

[css1323]

Always great to hear the latest and greatest rumors!

So, instead of having just one core, guys, we're getting TWO! Sweet. Gotta power the new high-resolution screen, right? It all makes sense.

Besides, with a new chip, you get energy efficiency. So why is everyone worrying about battery life anyway? It's practically a given. Apple isn't about to peddle backwards now!

 

[GFLPraxis]

The only way such an ipad could ever be sold would be at double the price it is now. It all sounds great...but this high of resolution and the kind of internal upgrades it will require would make it impossible to keep the ipad at its current price point.

Keep in mind that the original iPad is almost a year old at this point, and was likely a little underpowered even for its time (consider that the iPhone has double the RAM).

Though I wonder if Apple might create a split across the lineup with different resolution screens...

 

[lewis82]

2 cores? With all the space available for the battery, they might just as well make it a quad-core

 

[nwcs]

I'm glad I got the iPad rev 1 last may. I got to enjoy the iPad for a long time before even worrying about the ipad 2.

 

[zedsdead]

This is good news supporting the high res screen. Can't wait.

 

[S.B.G]

Sweet news. My only concern, especially with the potential iPhone 5, is what about battery life?

 

[asdf542]

Android who? What's a Motorola?

 

[lewis82]

Sweet news. My only concern, especially with the potential iPhone 5, is what about battery life?

Since the GPU is more powerful, it can do the same job as the old one while running at a fraction of its capacity. It requires less power in the other end.

 

[Slix]

Cool stuff.

 

[DTphonehome]

If Apple pulls this off, the next iPhone and iPad are going to be BEASTS. And a lot of Android OEMs are going to be very sad, sad, pandas.

 

[newyorkguy]

ipad?

i don´t care about the high res on the ipad. I want "Retina" on my MBP 15"!!!

 

[lewis82]

If Apple pulls this off, the next iPhone and iPad are going to be BEASTS. And a lot of Android OEMs are going to be very sad, sad, pandas.

I'm glad I kept my 2nd gen iPod touch for one more year, this year's model will be totally insane

 

[tomcattmatt]

iPad Pro?

Do you think they will break out the ipad into two categories? iPad and iPad pro? That way they could justify charging enough for this kind of hardware.