Tuesday, June 9, 2009

iphone3G


From a chip standpoint, this is one of the key questions of the iPhone 3G S launch. And one which Apple doesn't seem too inclined to answer, at least at the moment.
Which processor is in the iPhone 3G S? Odds are that it's an ARM chip, as the Samsung ARM 11 was the chip used by the previous iPhone 3G. But the real question is whether or not it's a chip from the PA Semi team that Apple acquired for $278 million in 2008.
The issue is the instruction set. Apple's iPhone OS is written for the ARM architecture, will be available for the iPhone 3G and the new 3G S; if Apple planned to move to a new processor architecture, the iPhone OS 3.0 would not straddle both phones. So we can assume that the 3G S is an ARM phone.
Unfortunately, Apple wasn't talking. I interviewed Bob Borchers, senior director of iPhone worldwide product marketing, who declined to comment on the chip's speeds, architecture, which company designed it, or even if it was an ARM architecture. "Within the mobile space we're mainly talking about what you can do with it," Borchers said.
Linley Gwennap, principal analyst at The Linley Group, which covers the embedded processor market, said he doubts Apple and its PA Semi team had had enough time to develop a chip for the iPhone. "I would think it's a safe assumption that it's another ARM processor they're working with," he said.
But, Gwennap added, it's impossible to say with certainty which processor is inside the new iPhone, or which vendor it was purchased from. "I would guess it's another Samsung processor with a faster CPU," he said. "It's possible that they switched [vendors], however."
What we don't know, as phone analyst Sascha Segan points out, is what particular flavor of ARM chip it is. Is it a Freescale Cortex chip? A more prosaic ARM derivative, merely clocked higher? To my knowledge, PA Semi was never an ARM licensee.
My notes show that Apple's characterizations of the iPhone 3G S performance focused on four key"benchmarks": the ability to lauch messages (2.1 times faster than the 3G), loading SimCity (2.4 times faster), viewing an Excel attachment (3.6 times faster) and loading the The New York Times.
According to Borchers, those metrics indicate "real-world things that make a difference". The software's new voice control options and the ability to edit video on the fly are two other indications of the software's performance, Borchers said.
On the plus side, the new iPhone 3G S also includes substantially more battery life, as Sascha Segan captured with his camera in our liveblog story: nine hours of Wi-Fi time for the iPhone 3G S versus six hours for the iPhone 3G; thirty hours of audio versus twenty-four for the iPhne 3G; and twelve hours of 2G talk time for the 3G S versus ten for the older 3G. That seems to indicate a process shrink, or shrinks, as well as some improved power management capabilities.
One other bit of news: there is no 802.11n in the iPhone 3G S, according to Borchers
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Iphone 3g S - News Results

What Processor is the iPhone 3G S Running? PC Magazine via Yahoo! News - Jun 08 01:10pm
TeliaSonera To Launch iPhone 3G S In Nordic, Baltic Regions
Inside the IPhone 3G S's Pricing CIO -
Apple - iPhone 3G S - View all the features of the new iPhone 3G S.
The new iPhone 3G S cell phone features faster performance, a video camera, voice control, and GPS maps with compass.www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-
Apple - iPhone 3G S - Learn about high-tech features like Multi-Touch.
With Multi-Touch technology, an accelerometer, smart sensors, GPS, and fast 3G performance, the new iPhone 3G S works like no other cell phone.www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3g-s/high-technology.html
iPhone 3GS Complete Feature Guide - Gizmodo
June 8, 2009 post features details about the iPhone 3G S, including its speed, camera, design, graphics, battery life, and new special features.i.gizmodo.com/5283099/iphone-3gs-complete-feature-
iPhone 3GS vs iPhone 3G Feature Chart Comparison - Gizmodo
Deciding between the cheap $99 and so last year iPhone 3G and the latest $199 or $299 iPhone 3GS. Thankfully, you can decide with this iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS ...i.gizmodo.com
iPhone 3G S - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hardware
References
External links
The iPhone 3G S is an internet-connected multimedia smartphone created by Apple Inc. The iPhone 3G S is entirely touchscreen and offers HSDPA speeds of around 7.2 Mbps.

Apple's new iPhone 3G S sports new camera, video
Autofocus, tap-to-focus, and macro features join VGA video on Apple's upcoming iPhone 3G S, due to start shipping next week.news.cnet.com
Apple unveils new iPhone
Apple on Monday unveiled a new, faster iPhone, lowered the price on its existing model to $99, and released details of its revamped operating system.money.cnn.com/rssclick/2009/06/08/technology/apple_wwdc/index.htm?... -
Apple's big announcement: a new iPhone?
Is there a new iPhone in your future?www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2009-06-05-apple-iphone_N.htm?cspiPhone - Wikipedia
History and...
Hardware
Software
Intellectual...
The iPhone is an internet-connected multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Since its minimal hardware interface lacks a physical keyboard, the multi-touch screen renders a virtual keyboard when necessary....
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iphone -

iPhone 3G, Exclusively from AT&T and Apple - Wireless from AT&T ...
... provider of the 3G-version of Apple's extremely popular iPhone. at AT&T, formerly Cingular ... iPhone 3G harnesses the power of AT&T's broad and powerful 3G ...www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iPhone.jsp -

Apple - iPhone - Mobile phone, iPod, and Internet device.
iPhone 3G S is a GSM cell phone that's also an iPod, a video camera, and a mobile Internet device with email and GPS maps.www.apple.com/iphone/
Buy iPhone 3G
Features
Downloads
App Store
A Guided Tour
Support
iPhone - iPhone OS 3.03.0 Preview
Tips & Tricks
apple.com
Apple - iPhone - Features - 3G
iPhone supports 3G, Wi-Fi, and EDGE networks and switches automatically between them to ensure the fastest possible download speeds.www.apple.com/iphone/features/wireless.html - Apple iPhone: iPhone 3G news, iPhone reviews, and new iPhone videos
The Apple iPhone 3G is here! Turn to CNET for up-to-the-minute coverage of the latest iPhone news, in-depth reviews of different iPhone models, ...www.cnet.com/apple-iphone.html -


Will It Blend? - iPhone3G1

iPhone 3G Torture Tests
iPhone 3G is finally official, starts at $199, available July 11th
It's been a long, leak-filled wait, but Apple finally took the wraps off its 3G iPhone. Thinner edges, full plastic back, flush headphone jack, ...www.engadget.com/2008/06/09/iphone-3g-is-finally-official/ -
Apple iPhone 3G - Full phone specifications
GSMArena.com: Apple iPhone 3G phone specs information.www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_3g-2424.php -
iPhone 3G Product Profile
Announced at the 2008 World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC), the iPhone 3G is the successor to Apple's wildly popular iPhone.www.crunchbase.com/product/iphone-3g -
iPhone 3G - Gizmodo
iPhone 3GS, New MacBook Pros, Snow Leopard and More From WWDC 2009 Today was big for Apple, busting out hardware updates in the two hottest lines—iPhones ...gizmodo.com/tag/iphone-3g/ - iPhone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Released July 11, 2008, the iPhone 3G supports faster 3G data speeds and ... On July 11, 2008, Apple released the iPhone 3G in twenty-two countries, ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone