a5

Apple is not known as a kingpin of the graphics chip industry. That would be Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices. But one review site shows Apple's iPad 2 and its A5 chip handily beating Nvidia's chip, which is housed inside the Motorola Xoom.

As CNET reported previously, the iPad 2 is significantly faster than the original iPad. That's not in dispute. But the bombshell that Anand Shimpi, CEO of the highly regarded review site Anandtech, has dropped is indeed surprising.

I queried Anand via e-mail. The answer to the second question, based on his "performance preview&… Read more

Wondering what makes that iPad 2 you just got tick and how much faster it is than the original iPad? Anandtech, iFixit, iosnoops, and UBM TechInsights have provided some answers.

Processor performance: Let's address this first--for obvious reasons. Apple has already been very public about the dual-core 1GHz A5 processor--a step up from the single-core chip in the original iPad--and the chip's "up to 9X faster" graphics" (Apple's ad copy).

And the verdict from an independent review? "CPU [Central Processing Unit] performance...we found to be a healthy 50 percent faster than the … Read more

Apple released the latest update to its iOS operating system just this morning, and already savvy coders have found signs that the company may be testing dual-core processors in the next version of the iPhone.

The iPad 2 is the first iOS device to ship with the A5, Apple's new dual-core processor that succeeds the A4. The A4 had been released first on the iPad before making its way to the iPhone 4, then later to the iPod Touch and Apple TV.

Riffing off the discovery of the A5 processor's code name within iOS 4.3's code by Chronic Dev group member Chronic, iOS developer Filippo Bigarella found mention of "N94AP," a code name that would signify a yet-to-be-released iPhone based on past device code names. The N94AP mention was then linked up with "S5L8940," the name for the A5 within the iOS code.

Is this a definitive sign the next iPhone will sport a dual-core processor? Certainly not, but it would jibe both with last year's processor refresh pattern of the iPad's chip trickling down to other iOS devices, and advanced notice of other Apple products from within development code. That was most recently the case with the Verizon iPhone, which was referenced in iOS 4 code back in August, some five months before it was officially announced.

(Via 9to5Mac) … Read more

The iPad 2's A5 chip is sending a strong message to the competition: Apple is moving to dual-core processing power in a completely redesigned tablet but keeping the 10-hour battery life.

Apple's A5 processor supersedes the A4 chip currently used in the iPad and iPhone 4. The A5 effectively doubles the processing power by adding another processor core to the single-core A4.

"We get up to twice as fast on CPU [Central Processing Unit] performance," said Steve Jobs, speaking at the iPad 2 event today in San Francisco.

And Apple is also trumpeting its graphics processing. &… Read more

The oft-quoted DigiTimes, a Taiwanese tech industry favorite publication, has revealed that Apple is outsourcing the production of its A5 processor chip, which many expect will be based on the ARM Cortex A9 design and used in the forthcoming iPhone 5, to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

AppleInsider reports that Apple's A4 chip is currently produced by Samsung Electronics, but the move to Taiwan Semiconductor for production of the A5 chip is because of Samsung's inability to keep up with Apple's supply demands.

This rumor follows many regarding Apple's iPhone lineup, including a larger, 4-inch screen and … Read more

iHome dubs its iA5 an "app enhanced" alarm clock, which is exactly what it sounds like. This unit is designed to work with iHome's iPhone app, which means you probably shouldn't bother reading on unless you have an iPhone or iPod Touch to connect to its dock.

From a design standpoint, the iA5 isn't terribly distinguished-looking, but it looks attractive enough with a speaker/dock system that slants back and leaves your iPhone or iPod Touch sitting in a lightly reclined position. The speaker is a little deeper and bigger than you'd think looking … Read more

The Audi A5 is one of (if not the) best looking vehicles that Audi makes. In the S5 trim, with its 354-horsepower direct-injected V-8, nobody's arguing that the coupe is short on power. However, there's no such thing as too much of a good thing, which is why we're grinning ear to ear at the announcement of a new, more powerful RS5 variant due to bow at the 2010 Geneva auto show.

The RS5's V-8 retains the same displacement as the S5, a healthy 4.2-liters, as well as its direct injection system, yet manages to … Read more

Face it: Most people listen to music on CD, LP, radio, or some form of downloaded file, and each and every one is a stereo format.

Even high-resolution formats like SACD have stereo mixes, so it's no surprise that Onkyo just introduced two new stereo components: An integrated stereo amplifier, the A-5VL, and a stereo SACD player, the C-S5VL.

The amp seems like a rational alternative to a feature-laden AV receiver, jam-packed with so much wizardry you need to read and comprehend a 100 page user manual to get it to do much of anything. Stereo is simple; no need to navigate multilayer menus to turn the bass up or down. No, with the stereo Onkyo amp, all you'll ever do is select the input--CD, aux, radio, etc.--and adjust the volume. Then sit back and enjoy the tunes. … Read more