A Quad Core iPhone 5 Would Be Cool, But 3D Chips Would Be Revolutionary
Posted by Michael Nace on Monday Jan 9, 2012 Under iPhone 5 Predictions, iPhone 5 RumorMore and more is being said and reported about how the 2012 iPhone 5 may feature a powerful quad core processor. In point of fact, it is one of only a few truly new rumors surrounding the iPhone 5 and what we might expect from it.
According to KnowYourMobile, citing 9to5Mac, code has been found embedded within the latest iOS 5.1 beta that points to the future expansion of the iPhone to include quad core processing: “the ‘core.3’ [code] indicates that there will be four cores in the chipsets used by Apple’s next-generation devices, otherwise known as the iPhone 5 and iPad 3. The report detailed that Apple’s A5 chipset devices – that’s the one found in the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S – had similar notations in the software code, which read ‘core.1’ – sounds pretty convincing to us. But all this isn’t that surprising, really. Apple will have to come to the table with quad-core devices next year just to keep up with current market trends."
Quad core processing is well established as cutting edge processing technology for high performance laptops, but to include such powerful processing on a small mobile device like the iPhone 5 would give Apple the capabilities of taking the next generation iPhone to new levels in terms of what it can do and how fast it can work. Combined with Apple's commitment to achieving high levels of software optimization with its operating systems (maybe not so much so with the iPhone 4S and its battery drain, but still), the quad core processor could become the lifeblood of a new level of mobile computing alla the iPhone 5.
Related to this new rumor, of course, is a reminder than another rumored processor technology is still floating around in the iPhone 5 rumor mill -- 3D chips.
When you think "3D," you're thinking graphics and displays. But in this case, 3D" refers to a new concept in building processor transistors. Lamont Wood at Computerworld explains it as thus: "Instead of putting dies in separate packages, soldered to a circuit board and sending data through their I/O ports to other chips (i.e., driving through the suburbs), dies are stacked and data is moved from one layer to the next (i.e., via the elevator)." In short, 3D chips allow information to move through the processor much more efficiently -- a necessity in today's fast-changing world of technology.
Last year, we reported on 3D chips and their possible connection to the iPhone 5. On August 20th, 2011, I wrote how the technology could very well be in line for the A6 processor: "The A6 chip that Apple has in the works, however, is seen to be a more than worthy competitor to the new processing power of Android smartphones. The A6 will feature the highly advanced 3D IC technology."
We've yet to hear these rumors come back strong in the early going of the 2012 iPhone 5 rumor mill. But if you're a chip person and are beginning to get excited (again) about the prospect of an iPhone 5, then you have to be encouraged about these two possibilities for what might power the iPhone 5 in 2012.
By Michael Nace
Michael Nace is the Publisher of the iPhone 5 News Blog and iPhone 6 News Blog. He has published articles about the iPhone since 2010.
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January 9th, 2012 at 11:38 am
Four cores, 3D stacking? Though it’s nice to have more speed on tap, what really matters is how Apple are going to use that speed to benefit the user experience. My 4S is plenty fast enough and i can’t imagine app opening a split second faster etc is going to benefit me greatly.
Hopefully the increase in processing power will drive some really useful (and cool) inventions whilst not draining the battery too quickly.
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January 9th, 2012 at 12:26 pm
[...] 4S and iPad 2. A new concept of the iPhone 5 comes directly from Italy and was envisioned by …A Quad Core iPhone 5 Would Be Cool, But 3D Chips Would Be RevolutionaryThe iPhone 5 News Blog (blog)iPhone 5 & iPad 3 to rock quad-core processors?uSwitch.com [...]
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January 9th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
@Oscar the new processor wouldn’t just make it faster. It would also be the key for better graphics and it will also benefit the OS. It could make iOS devices great portable gaming consoles and it’ll just make your user experience better. It may even open the door for real multitasking (I’m not into that but a lot of people are).
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January 9th, 2012 at 3:12 pm
I’d settle for same performance, but better battery life.
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January 9th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
hopefully the new processor wont be better at the cost of battery life. I dont know whats worse, a good phone that can be used for a short time, or a bad one that can be used for a long time? maybe we’ll find out
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January 9th, 2012 at 7:23 pm
You know my iPad2 gets the job done just fine. I think if this processor gives good battery life it’s great to have. I’m still waiting, I figured my iPad is just good enough, so I’m going to hold out of the iPhone5, quad core and 3D processors have been keeping me from going to android. I’m power hungry, what can I say. Also, android becomes cheap and rubbish quickly, so why not hold out for iphone 5 now? I’m hoping that the iOS becomes a little more advance too.
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January 10th, 2012 at 5:29 am
@Cristian, I hear what you’re saying though I don’t play many games on my phone (the odd Sudoku aside…), I realise gaming is becoming an important, and revenue generating, facet of the iPhone so if quad core helps make the games better then I’d think Apple will want it in there.
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January 10th, 2012 at 8:40 am
I think with something like the iPhone the most important thing at the end of the day is batter life, without a good battery you can neither use your phone for gaming or making phone calls which is supposed to be the basic priority of a telephone.
The iPhone doesn’t have a removable battery ( although I think if it did Apple would make a fortune in spare battery sales ) so make the more powerful you make the phone the more it drains the battery especially if we are talking about screen resolution.
If Apple can avoid to much power consumption then there is a good chance they will try and make the iP5 something thats going to create a better gaming experience but gaming must not be the priority because not everybody wants an iPhone because they want to play games.
Personally I think they will save things like 3D processors for the iPad which is a much more user friendly platform for gamers anyway and because of its size and the fact that with the 3G version of iPad you can expand the memory capacity non of which the iPhone has, its more a matter of when rather than if,
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January 12th, 2012 at 5:06 pm
I understand what everyone is saying about battery life, however I am expecting/hoping to see something pretty special from the A6 chip for the following reasons
a) it will bring the iphone back to being the market leader from a performance perspective
b) because it has been reported that towards the end of this year, the MacBook Air will also be running on A6 processors
I understand why people are worried about battery life, however they need to remember that Apple will know this and will be working to increase battery life too. Another thing to keep in mind is that the thing that makes a stacked 3D processor faster is because it is more efficient. By being more efficient it will also use less power. Therefore you can guarantee that a 3D quad core processor will use less power than a traditional, flat quad core processor.
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April 2nd, 2012 at 8:46 pm
[...] IPhone 5 Apps: More Powerful And Creative Applications For The Next Update The recently released iPh…Phone 4S and much of its power is linearly derived from its predecessor. Days after the iPhone 4S was launched, speculations for the iPhone 5 quickly cropped up. Apple fans clamor for more features that will surely enhance further the overall user experience through iPhone 5 apps. The creative limit for the iPhone 5 apps is bounded by the peripherals of the device. When Apple introduced the accelerometer into the iPhone beginning with the third generation, more dimensions were consequently added into the applications. Racing games were steered using the accelerometer and other game ingenuities were successfully implemented into thousands upon thousands of apps. In the iPhone 4, it was the embedded gyroscope that brought additional dimensions into the iPhone applications. As for the iPhone 5 apps, the powerful A6 processor shall provide more than enough processing speed so as to implement heavier games and applications into the device. Additionally, memory is expected to be increased to 1 GB since retaining the 512-MB RAM in the iPhone 4S was a bit of a disappointment to many. With regards to the iPhone 5 screen, it is expected to be wider which will extend closer to the edge of the sides making use of every available surface. Displays capable of delivering three-dimensional graphics are also speculated for the next incremental update. The Angry Birds app to be available in 3D and HD shall keep this gaming app on top of the hot applications list all over the world. Destroying those blocks displayed on 3D by swinging an angry bird will become more exciting and immersive. With the HD version, more graphical details can be afforded. Street maps available in Google Street View will be rendered in 3D as well. Buildings rendered in full 3D shall enhance navigation systems and provide more intuitive controls for the user. With the built-in gyroscope and accelerometer, accompanying movements of the user holding the iPhone are more precisely interpreted by the device The iPhone 5 apps will be lounched as soon as the next incremental update will be released next year. The features of each app will only be bounded by the creative limits of the game and application designers. [...]
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