Higher yields and better power efficiency on the chips used in the popular but low margin iPad mini, allows them to increase margins (they can also put a smaller battery in the iPad mini and iPod touch while getting the same performance), one of the issues investors had with the previous quarter.
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Tweaked Apple TV Contains Die-Shrunk A5 Chip, Not A5X
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Higher yields and better power efficiency on the chips used in the popular but low margin iPad mini, allows them to increase margins (they can also put a smaller battery in the iPad mini and iPod touch while getting the same performance), one of the issues investors had with the previous quarter.
Because it was a different chip and the one on the aTV is already the shrunk version and this is the first time they have shrunk the same chip 3X
I want more than that either flixster or vudu streaming at least.
To test new dies and new size for other chips w/out affecting performance or costs. I assume it would cost more to change the chip size on an iPhone since it needs to pass through a bunch of places before an item gets approvedWhats the point in using shrunken chip, and not the new one.
My guess is this chip only makes it harder to jailbreak.
Still waiting jailbreak on my atv3
The previous Apple TV (with the "new" 32nm chip) also had external Hynix RAM and Toshiba NAND. So this new chip is smaller than the previous version, though we still don't really know why.
AirPlay isn't exactly a minor feature, though.
I understand it's not exactly the same, and in some ways highlights why it's goofy they haven't added a store yet, but AirPlay essentially gives the AppleTV access to hundreds of thousands of apps through a connected iDevice?
I mean, you can't play Infinity Blade on a Roku, but you can on an AppleTV with AirPlay. To say nothing of all the streaming apps.
The article didn't state if the new Apple TV's A5 chip is still single core, or if it's dual core. Anyone?
As with all of these smart TV's, in about a year it will be obsolete. You will likely not get any more updates after that. They are hardly a long term proposition if you are looking to build a library.
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Have you used your iOS device as a remote for the ATV? It basically works as a track pad already. It is really easy. Do you look at your track pad when you use it on a laptop? No you look at the screen. Same thing when you use the remote app.
I have an Apple TV, but I want this. And HBO Go.
Edit: And NFL Sunday Ticket
HBO Go is now at least streamable to ATV via Airplay if you have a compatible device I believe.
You also need to factor in the lag introduced by AirPlay, which is significant. You'll never play fast action games, where even one millisec counts, thru AirPlay.
Just some figures: in the Lightning-to-HDMI thread ( https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1550766/ ) here, I've published some benchmarks I've measured on the new Lightning-to-HDMI adapter, the old VGA one and an ATV3 driven thru AirPlay, the first and the last from the iPhone 5. The results of the measured lag are as follows:
- old (non-Lightning) VGA (and HDMI) adapter: 50ms
- new (Lightning) HDMI adapter: 83ms
- AirPlay: 150ms
That is, AirPlay is three times slower than the old and almost two times slower than the new HDMI adapter.
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I think Apple would have advertised / mentioned if it was dual-core so that people know it may be significantly better than the predecessor.
I guess so. Looking on the website, it still says single core... So I guess it still is
No wonder there's been no official mention of this update, to the consumer it's exactly the same product.
aybe Amazon doesn't want to be on Apple TV so they can sell more Kindles. Apple can't force Amazon to put Prime on AppleTV.
We kinda do know why though: Moore's Law. Roughly every two years the fabs move to a new process node with smaller feature sizes which effectively doubles the yield from a given wafer size. This allows us to keep price and power usage almost on par with a previous generation while doubling the number of transistors and thus increasing performance, or reduce the die size and make a chip that costs less and uses less power.
Once volume production is ramped up, these new A5's could cost Apple as little as 1/4 of what the original version went for, and they probably draw around 1/3 less power. This is also the first time we've seen Apple contract a chip fabbed at 2x nm, and we know they aren't totally in love with Samsung these days, so they may just be testing a new process from a different foundry with a limited run of a known design.
If you were simply asking what Apple's plans are for a second die-shrink of the A5, well that's a good question. The GPU and memory interface are definitely starting to get a bit dated for any type of new flagship device, so this is clearly targeting something lower cost. However, 6 mm x 6 mm is tiny. We're talking fits in a cable connector tiny. So who knows? Maybe the next iPod nano will be a full blown iOS device.
I think this also points to the A5X not being a consideration for future products - there was quite a bit of chatter that Apple using an A5X variant in the AppleTV was an indicator it might surface as the SOC for the retina version of the iPad Mini. I think A5X is done with the iPad 3rd gen, and any new retina based devices will uses an A6/X (or even newer SOC), and the A5 will stick around for low-to-mid-ranged and/or non-retina devices (the iPad Touch being the odd product ...)
While unhappy it would be little more than risky to go cold turkey and switch 100% production for all products over from Samsung to a new foundry. For Apple's lower priced products it would make more sense for those to be the last to transition out of Samsung. They'd want stable, lower priced component stream.
With AppleTVs relatively low run rate, < 2M per quarter, they could be still be getting useful product while the Samsung fab ramps up to full mass production. Even if the yields are not up full productions rates it isn't like Apple is reducing the price of AppleTV. They can still pay the "old" price for these smaller chips for a while and take no loss in margin at all. Once yields mature around Q4 they'll be printing extra money off of AppleTVs sold (margin up).
There are probably more 28nm A5's coming for stuff like iPod Touch for at least the lowest priced variant. There is a good chance they will use A5 for all of them and move the prices down a notch.
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The A5X is not necessary if just move to the next generation of Imagination's graphics. To some extent it is a kludge because needed something faster before that next gen was ready. At this point it would make more sense to transition to the next gen than to spend alot of time trying to shrink the A5X.
The series 6 is being demo'ed at this point.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/08/...eries-6-series-5xt-mobile-gpu-demo/#continued
It shouldn't be too far away. By late Q3 or early Q4 there should be Series6 GPU in at least one product.
P.S. On that Engadget story is that newer faster OpenGL drivers due for 543mp2 that are in A5. So yet another reason can simply transition to less expensive A5's but still have "faster" new product.
article said:
2011 iPad2 45nm 10.09 x 12.15 mm (122.50 mm^2)
2012 iPad2 32nm 8.19 x 8.68 mm (71.09 mm^2) delta 51.41 or 42.0% less
2013 AppleTV3 28nm 6.0 x 6.0 mm (36.0 mm^2) delta 35.09 or 49.4% less
122.5, 36.0 delta 86.5 or 70.6% less
36/122.5mm=29.4% of the original area. Between a quarter and a third the area.
Rocketman