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Apple's A4 dissected, discussed...and tantalizing

28 points by rpledge 16y ago

grinich 16y ago
Here is a link to the non-paginated version: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=225700447&pgno=all&printable=true&printable=true http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=225700447... I also just noticed that Safari 5's Reader feature will grab the next page as you scroll down. Awesome.
- Groxx 16y ago
  Yeah, that's the main reason I've quit using the Readability bookmarklet. Auto-loading is a killer feature.
  - tel 16y ago
    Marco, if you can get that into Instapaper it'd be godsend. Well, Marcosend.
sliverstorm 16y ago
I've always wondered, can people actually look at the images of the die and understand what's going on? Do different components of a chip always take the same shape?
- anamax 16y ago
  It's not shape, it's more "texture" and connectivity. The untrained eye can distinguish memory, which is very regular, from other things. The trained eye can distinguish some of those other things. You can also partition by texture. Knowing the identify of some things helps you identify what they're connected to. The more that you identify, the more constrained the possibilities are for the remaining things.
- RodgerTheGreat 16y ago
  To an extent, yes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_cell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_cell If you look closer and examine the layers individually, it's possible to map out the transistors making up a circuit, but it's a great deal easier to figure things out when you're dealing with a chip made from standard modular components.
mikecane 16y ago
Anyone here know how the A4 compares to the upcoming Tegra 2? It's interesting most of the A4 is based on a Samsung design. Would this mean Samsung's own upcoming Android tablet will have the power on an iPad?
- wmf 16y ago
  Tegra 2 ought to be about 3x the raw performance of A4, but I suspect it will be significantly higher power.
  - nl 16y ago
    The power comparison is slightly misleading, because Tegra2 has powerful video decoders on-chip, while the Apple products use a separate PowerVX chip. If you aren't using that I'd be surprised if Tegra2 was significantly more power hungry than A4. There's some reasonably informed speculation here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2911 http://www.anandtech.com/show/2911 Regarding the OP's question of iPad vs Samsung tablets: Yes, Samsung (or just about anyone) can build hardware as fast as the iPad. Any Cortex A8 chip (Snapdragon, OMAP3xxx etc) is roughly comparable.
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28 points by rpledge 16y ago

Here is a link to the non-paginated version: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=225700447&pgno=all&printable=true&printable=true http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=225700447... I also just noticed that Safari 5's Reader feature will grab the next page as you scroll down. Awesome.

Groxx 16y ago
Yeah, that's the main reason I've quit using the Readability bookmarklet. Auto-loading is a killer feature.
- tel 16y ago
  Marco, if you can get that into Instapaper it'd be godsend. Well, Marcosend.

sliverstorm 16y ago

I've always wondered, can people actually look at the images of the die and understand what's going on? Do different components of a chip always take the same shape?

anamax 16y ago
It's not shape, it's more "texture" and connectivity. The untrained eye can distinguish memory, which is very regular, from other things. The trained eye can distinguish some of those other things. You can also partition by texture. Knowing the identify of some things helps you identify what they're connected to. The more that you identify, the more constrained the possibilities are for the remaining things.
RodgerTheGreat 16y ago
To an extent, yes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_cell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_cell If you look closer and examine the layers individually, it's possible to map out the transistors making up a circuit, but it's a great deal easier to figure things out when you're dealing with a chip made from standard modular components.

mikecane 16y ago

Anyone here know how the A4 compares to the upcoming Tegra 2? It's interesting most of the A4 is based on a Samsung design. Would this mean Samsung's own upcoming Android tablet will have the power on an iPad?

wmf 16y ago
Tegra 2 ought to be about 3x the raw performance of A4, but I suspect it will be significantly higher power.
- nl 16y ago
  The power comparison is slightly misleading, because Tegra2 has powerful video decoders on-chip, while the Apple products use a separate PowerVX chip. If you aren't using that I'd be surprised if Tegra2 was significantly more power hungry than A4. There's some reasonably informed speculation here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2911 http://www.anandtech.com/show/2911 Regarding the OP's question of iPad vs Samsung tablets: Yes, Samsung (or just about anyone) can build hardware as fast as the iPad. Any Cortex A8 chip (Snapdragon, OMAP3xxx etc) is roughly comparable.
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