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The variant with the 8-core GPU is most likely also a binned version of the 10-core GPU variant. It's a lot easier to enable/disable cores than to produce diffe

The variant with the 8-core GPU is most likely also a binned version of the 10-core GPU variant. It's a lot easier to enable/disable cores than to produce different silicon for minor spec differences. It may be that Apple's yield of 10-core GPUs is lower than expected, but those GPUs validate just fine with 9 cores enabled. Or maybe Apple had another marketing reason, such as further differentiating the iPad Pro.

m463 2y ago
I'll bet it's a yield + dont-want-a-lawsuit combo
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- KerrAvon 2y ago
  why lawsuit?
  - m463 2y ago
    Apple gets sued for things all the time. I think there's a whole class action system set up for it. "iPhone owners get $92 payouts from Apple in phone-throttling settlement" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/01/iphone-owners-get-92-payouts-from-apple-in-phone-throttling-settlement/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/01/iphone-owners-ge... etc... "Some iPhone users eligible for $349 in lawsuit settlement payout over audio issues" "Apple Lawsuit: M1 MacBook Pro and Air Have Display Hardware Defects, Causes Screens to Crack" "AppleCare Class Action: Apple Agrees to $95 Million Settlement for iPhone, iPad Users Given ‘Remanufactured’ Devices" "Apple Agrees to $50 Million Settlement Over Butterfly Keyboard Complaints"
  - mensetmanusman 2y ago
    If you make a marketing claim, the government can sue you for not selling what you say you are. This doesn’t apply to puffery claims though, which is why Apple could have said ‘the new M2, with the best number of cores ever!’ And been fine with whatever.
bastard_op 2y ago
They probably found that the 10th one was systemically defective, and is just disabling it now vs a crap shoot which shipped products will crash or not when using theirs. Much like what they'd do with the batteries when they'd go wonky. Or it's simply that much cheaper to yield a 9 core than a 10 from their production. Gotta stretch that profit margin even more, they don't make enough of apple users already.
librasteve 2y ago
theoretically, a single defect will impact overall device yield by fraction of area for GPU / total device area * defect density so, if all the GPUS are 30% of the device area, with a 5% defect density, binning from 10 to 9 is going to increase total yield by 1.6% square that for binning from 10 to 8 so 3% yield improvement there (so ~4.6% total) if the TMSC 3nm process is up at 10-20% then this starts to get material

m463 2y ago

I'll bet it's a yield + dont-want-a-lawsuit combo

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
KerrAvon 2y ago
why lawsuit?
- m463 2y ago
  Apple gets sued for things all the time. I think there's a whole class action system set up for it. "iPhone owners get $92 payouts from Apple in phone-throttling settlement" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/01/iphone-owners-get-92-payouts-from-apple-in-phone-throttling-settlement/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/01/iphone-owners-ge... etc... "Some iPhone users eligible for $349 in lawsuit settlement payout over audio issues" "Apple Lawsuit: M1 MacBook Pro and Air Have Display Hardware Defects, Causes Screens to Crack" "AppleCare Class Action: Apple Agrees to $95 Million Settlement for iPhone, iPad Users Given ‘Remanufactured’ Devices" "Apple Agrees to $50 Million Settlement Over Butterfly Keyboard Complaints"
- mensetmanusman 2y ago
  If you make a marketing claim, the government can sue you for not selling what you say you are. This doesn’t apply to puffery claims though, which is why Apple could have said ‘the new M2, with the best number of cores ever!’ And been fine with whatever.

bastard_op 2y ago

They probably found that the 10th one was systemically defective, and is just disabling it now vs a crap shoot which shipped products will crash or not when using theirs. Much like what they'd do with the batteries when they'd go wonky. Or it's simply that much cheaper to yield a 9 core than a 10 from their production. Gotta stretch that profit margin even more, they don't make enough of apple users already.

librasteve 2y ago

theoretically, a single defect will impact overall device yield by fraction of area for GPU / total device area * defect density so, if all the GPUS are 30% of the device area, with a 5% defect density, binning from 10 to 9 is going to increase total yield by 1.6% square that for binning from 10 to 8 so 3% yield improvement there (so ~4.6% total) if the TMSC 3nm process is up at 10-20% then this starts to get material