iPad Processors and the future.

[tlinford]

Will head become as issue?

The new iPad's A5x is less than was hoped with an quad core A6 predicted. The A5x's quad core GPU is not the same as quad core processing.. despite this I can't help but notice the metal shield on the new processor, why is this, for style - I doubt it. I suspect this is the first sign of heat management.

I have been amazed at the low core temperature that my iPad2 runs at. No fan, no heatsink - great. The downside is the lack of potential in CPU grunt. I notice a lag when processing PDF's. I tend to annotate PDF's on my iPad for a university degree I am doing, processed that have lag in the iPad, fly on my MacBook..... This is ok, but what I am going to be doing in a day does influence whether I slip my iPad or MacBook into my school-bag....

So if we want a quad core CPU for iPad that takes some of the lag out of things, what will the temperature hit be? Will heat be the limiting factor is how far the iPad CPU can be pushed in the future?

 

[thelookingglass]

It's a good point. I believe ifixit confirmed that the metal plate was indeed a heat sink of sorts. And users have been reporting that the new iPad gets warm around the bottom left corner.

 

[homeboy]

The power improvements in the future will be incremental because of the added bulk from batteries to accomodate increased power needs.

The iPad 3 is heavy, you really notice the difference compared with an iPad 2. This clearly opens up a gap for a smaller iPad. Another problem is charging. If the next set of internals the charger will need to a larger unattractive power brick.