Apple's A4 system-on-chip gets decoupled from iPad, investigated allowing for the assistance up of an X-ray

Ever therefore gradually, we're beginning to peel away the legal layers up of puzzle surrounding the A4 system-on-chip which powers Apple's fancy new slate device.
iFixit, helped by reverse engineering firm Chipworks, suffer from long past to the difficulty of both dissecting plus X-raying the iPad's central processing hub in his or her or him quest to raise the veil of ignorance. Their findings confirmed that the A4 could be constructed employing a "package as to package" process, which means that the 256MB of Samsung-provided SDRAM is stacked immediately atop the CPU, which explains noted though ending up as reductive to both latency and effort make use of. Along allowing for a single core processor inside, the iFixit team concluded the iPad needed to be running on a Cortex A8 -- which is terribly much the likeliest decision at about that purpose -- less than their assertion that it may gain no longer be a Cortex A9 MPCore inside is incorrect, as the ones chips additionally are available in single-core features. Either approach, it will be attention-grabbing to detect the way it stacks up against Samsung's Hummingbird chip, which used to be engineered by Intrinsity, the identical corporate Apple is being rumored to be forced recently acquired. Eventually, the visual inspection of the iPad's mobo puts a model number to the already referred to currently PowerVR GPU, narrowing it right down to the SGX 535, whereas also naming and picturing a large number of alternative exciting components, such because the necessarily well-liked capacitive touchscreen controller. Hit the source link under for each one the lurid photographs.