iPad 3 Powered by Dual Core A5X Chip – Analyst
Posted by unlocker on Tuesday Apr 3, 2012 Under UncategorizedIt is almost certain that the new iPad 3 will be equipped with high resolution Retina Display; however, it is still unclear if the much anticipated device will be equipped with quad-core A6 chip of dual-core A5X chip.
Based on the code found in the iOS 5.1 beta, Apple may be working on both quad-core A6 chip and dual-core A5X chip. It seems that Apple may end up using the quad-core A6 chip in iPad 3 and the dual-core A5X in the next iPhone.
However BlueFin Research Partners analyst Steve Mullane said to AllThingsD, iPad 3 may be powered by the dual-core A5X chip, according to supply chain sources.
Based on the information coming from the semiconductor supply chain suggests that Apple’s chip electronics partner Samsung is not capable of manufacturing a 28-nanometer quad-core chips, as the A6 is presumed to be.
“[Samsung's] Austin logic fab … supports the mass production of the 45-nanometer AAPL A5 processor, and is ramping on a 32-nanometer process,” Mullane says. “Since the A6 processor is based on a 28-nanometer process, we believe the 32-nanometer ramp validates the recent rumors that the iPad 3 will likely use a higher speed, die-shrink version of the A5 dual-core processor, named the A5X processor, as opposed to the next-generation A6 quad-core processor.”
However, the long wait will soon be over as Apple will soon unveil the next generation of iPad on March 7.