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A die shrink typically means lower production costs and higher percent yield from the same size wafer. Considering they went from roughly 10mm X 12mm to 6mm X 6mm means they've nearly quadrupled their yield. Also, if I'm not mistaken, it uses less power and runs cooler(?)

Anyways, Apple could just be testing out TSMC's new process and might even decide to have them produce the "AX" chip for the rumored "iWatch" based on this. But that's just my guessing and speculation.


As mentioned, the Apple TV with its relatively low production has become the test bed for new CPU's on a new process. Last year it used the defective A5's with only one of the cores working on the 32 nm process which worked out the quirks for the revised A5 for the iPad 2 and A6 for iPhone 5.

Apparently the further revised A5 is testing out TSMC's 28nm process before the A7 comes out for the iPhone 5S using the same 28nm process.

Ah I see, didnt think about the lower consumption and less thermal. But i'm certain this revised atv will it make it harder to jailbreak :(
 
I never understood why anyone believed it would contain the A5X. What would an Apple TV catering to 1080p displays do with 4 times the GPU of an iPad 2?

Because they believed Apple would announce third-party developer access to the platform for apps like games simultaneous to the release of ATV3,2
 
To all the people downplaying this: this is great news. 28nm process could enable:

iPad mini 2 with Retina
iPad 5 with thinner body (as is expected)
iPhone 5S with better battery life and faster CPU/GPU

Sure, other things also have to be worked out (like backlight issues on the iPad mini with Retina), but this is great news. As for the "inconsequential" update to the ATV3, the last trial run of a new process gave us the ATV3 (with 1080p). This trial run didn't result in the ATV4 ... because ATV4 is likely to bring big changes and isn't ready yet - but Apple didn't want to wait on getting the 28nm process vetted.

Can't wait to see which foundry they're using (I'm hoping it's actually Intel's 22nm...).
 
That depends ...

There's long been rumors that eventually, the AppleTV will add the ability to download and install one's own apps for it from the App Store, just like GoogleTV does right now with their store.

If you go to a more open device with 3rd. party software offerings running on it that you have no idea in advance about? Then a more powerful processor would probably be a benefit.

I never understood why anyone believed it would contain the A5X. What would an Apple TV catering to 1080p displays do with 4 times the GPU of an iPad 2?
 
Whats the point in using shrunken chip, and not the new one.
My guess is this chip only makes it harder to jailbreak.

You are correct. Have you seen the size of the lock on the new chip? Nobody makes a lock pick set that small! Don't even get me started on finding a source of tiny bits to program with. :mad:
 
This is the first Apple chip with 28nm die size. Since the chips are of enormous importance to the products this is a pretty big deal. The more Apple can reduce the die size the more other stuff such as battery or other silicon can be added to the products.

Ditto. Anyone who doesn't appreciate how big the introduction of a 28nm die is just doesn't understand the physics that will bring revolution to mobile computing. Less heat. Less power drain. More space for batteries. All good things for mobile devices.
 
There's long been rumors that eventually, the AppleTV will add the ability to download and install one's own apps for it from the App Store, just like GoogleTV does right now with their store.

As does Roku, whose media streamers offer a far better value than the AppleTV right now. IMO the only major selling point of the AppleTV currently is AirPlay.
 
Dumb question. Does Apple TV bought from the States will work in Australia? I know HULU, NETFlix will not work. I am just wondering about the movies that I bought from iTunes.
 
As does Roku, whose media streamers offer a far better value than the AppleTV right now. IMO the only major selling point of the AppleTV currently is AirPlay.

Agreed...I love apple products (have iphone, ipad, etc) but for streaming the ROKU offers way more content (i think something like 700 content channels) and you can get the cheap one starting at HALF the price of the apple tv, the advantages appletv has are airplay, playing itunes content and a more polished interface, but at least for me, those don't outweight having way less content and costing much more (for the lower model anyways)
 
This is the first Apple chip with 28nm die size. Since the chips are of enormous importance to the products this is a pretty big deal. The more Apple can reduce the die size the more other stuff such as battery or other silicon can be added to the products.

Yeah, this is the size they want to use in their next generation phones. But it serves no particular purpose in the Apple TV that does not suffer from heat or battery life issues. Truly this is just a test run. A proof of concept done on a massive and commercial scale. And as such that is kind of awesome.

This is the size that will allow Apple to bring out a thinner 3.5 inch phone. And get longer battery life. :D
 
I fear you'll be waiting a while. Apple won't be in any hurry to cannibalise their own iTunes sales.

They've already got Netflix and Hulu on their. I haven't really messed around with Amazon Prime (though of course I have it for the free delivery). Is the selection much better than Netflix? Or does it end up being repetitive?
 
... Or they could just open up the platform to developers...Like they should have years ago...So you don't have to wait for Apple to add features at a glacial pace...

That would interfere with the content deals they're trying to nail down.

Not trying to defend it...just explaining it...
 
That article re Apple using Snapdragon was complete tosh, reducing size and power o existing chips is where apple is really headed on a cheaper device, it make absolutely no sense to bring in an external product when they already have what they need, reducing the A5 down to 28nm and sticking in a cheaper lower power product , iv always seen the ATV as apples test bed in recent years for some HW, its cheap enough and low enough volume that if there was an issue its easy to remedy with previous versions.

just remember a lot of apple work goes in where you don't see it and this is proof of that, wait 5 years this stuff will pay off massively.
 
Dumb question. Does Apple TV bought from the States will work in Australia? I know HULU, NETFlix will not work. I am just wondering about the movies that I bought from iTunes.

If you continue using the same iTunes account and don't move it to a new country store (which means you'll continue to use your US credit card) then yes, it'll work.

Technically, the AppleTVs sold are the same everywhere. Only difference comes up where you're using it (such as Hulu restrictions) and what country your iTunes store is.
 
They've already got Netflix and Hulu on their. I haven't really messed around with Amazon Prime (though of course I have it for the free delivery). Is the selection much better than Netflix? Or does it end up being repetitive?

I have Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus and Netflix on my PS3. They each seem to have a bit of exclusive content, though some content bounces from one to another. If you already use Amazon Prime for shipping, there is no reason not to take advantage of the video feature, but the video feature is not reason enough for Amazon Prime.
 
I have been considering buying an Apple TV for some time, and indeed was ready to get the credit card out last weekend. Then I reconsidered. I now have a fancy new Panasonic Viera TV that would be suitable for displaying information from the Web. Yet neither Panasonic's nor Apple's stock apps include even a rudimentary browser, locking me into a handful apps that are limited in functionality.

So... I don't give a crap about what CPU the Apple TV is running. I'll only be interested when it is opened up to more apps. Moreover, the stock and free apps available with the Panasonic TV are already greater in number than Apple's offerings (e.g., TuneIn radio app is available for the Viera). It seems to me with a mountain of cash Apple could make the Apple TV less of a hobby and more of a money maker (e.g., if in addition to apps they added a blu-ray/DVD drive as well so I could replace other components and also use my iPhone as a remote).
 
Has TSMC actually been confirmed? Samsung's 28nm process may not be as behind as MacRumors is saying. Samsung has already demoed their 28nm Exynos 8 and it seems likely to be introduced with the Galaxy S4 being announced this week.

Which foundry made these chips has NOT been confirmed as far as I can tell.

TSMC already claimed nearly 100% of all 28nm production in 2012.
It was never in doubt which foundry is dominant. Still doesn't tell us anything about who made the chip though.
 
I have been considering buying an Apple TV for some time, and indeed was ready to get the credit card out last weekend. Then I reconsidered. I now have a fancy new Panasonic Viera TV that would be suitable for displaying information from the Web. Yet both Panasonic's apps and Apple's do not even allow me to so much as surf the web with a browser, locking me into a handful apps that are approved.

So... I don't give a crap about what CPU the Apple TV is running. I'll only be interested when it is opened up to more apps. Moreover, the stock and free apps available with the Panasonic TV are already greater in number than Apple's offerings (e.g., TuneIn radio app is available for the Viera). It seems to me with a mountain of cash Apple could make the Apple TV less of a hobby and more of a money maker (e.g., if in addition to apps they added a blu-ray/DVD drive as well so I could replace other components and also use my iPhone as a remote).

Two options: jailbreak or Mac Mini. Or both :p Apple TV really is pretty awesome, for what it is: an entertainment box.
 
It is most likely that rather than having the normal dual core A5 with one core disabled, it's a single core A5. We'll need to see something from ChipWorks or similar to determine process.
 
Yay!

So I don't need to wait another month to replace my ATV2 which has suffered a major problem since the last software update. (Yes, I took it in to the Apple store for repair. No it doesn't show up in the iTunes menu when they plug it in. Yes it plays Netflix & does AirPlay. No, it can't play my iTunes content-it reboots every time I try.)
 
Gigabit Ethernet

Would be good if the next round of AirPlay devices have gigabit ethernet / faster wireless. I was a little shocked to find out that the new AEX only has 10/100 ethernet, same with the :apple:TV. I understand that they might not want to use a non-mobile wireless chip, but ethernet should be full speed.
 
This is the first Apple chip with 28nm die size. Since the chips are of enormous importance to the products this is a pretty big deal. The more Apple can reduce the die size the more other stuff such as battery or other silicon can be added to the products.

While I'm fully aware of significance of this accomplishment. It's something only tech enthusiasts understand and appreciate. These are the very people that are accused of prefering Android over the much simpler & basic iOS.

Therefore the point is, it's lost on the mainstream customer who doesn't care about anything other than the Apple logo, and the fact that they want to be seen with an iPhone or iPad.

Meanwhile the die size is not going to help Apples dismal stock performance. This is, after all, a publicly traded business.

Here's something about public perspective on Apple:
http://www.france24.com/en/20130309-googles-star-rises-apple-fades
 
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