5 ms·

The Hidden Job of the M7 processor in the iPhone 5s

34 points by jcvangent 13y ago

girvo 13y ago
Interestingly, when the article started with this: "The M7 processor contains all the hardware for tracking purposes." I thought it was going to be a negative, but the end of the post was positive. I'm unsure how I feel about a chip that seems to be dedicated to tracking all that data from Day 1, what with all the surveillance talks lately... But then, I remember that using a mobile phone is pretty inherently insecure anyway; carriers know where you are at pretty much any point, text messages are terribly easy to get for any LEO-type adversary, etc. Still, the UX part of it is kind of neat, as are the benefits for battery life -- I do like the idea of low-power chips to handle tasks so the main application processor doesn't have to. I know a lot of phones actually have a dedicated co-processor for the Radio (which is what the radio firmware blobs run on), so it's not unprecedented.
- azurelogic 13y ago
  I thought this was going to be another Apple = Big Brother piece too. Having read too many articles like that lately, I was surprised at the ending. The post title on here feels kind of ominous...
  - bjansn 13y ago
    Author here, I agree. Title could have been better for sure, it's in the end more about the UX part and how Apple supports their developers delivering a better experience to the iOS users.
    - hakcermani 13y ago
      Is the M7 data also reset on a phone reset ? Would be good to know.
      - bjansn 13y ago
        Probably, it stores the data on your phone somewhere. Probably is in your back-up as well? This should be somewhere in the docs. Don't have the time to look it up atm.
cheeaun 13y ago
I think this was slightly mentioned in the Apple Special Event on September 10 http://youtu.be/yBX-KpMoxYk?t=43m45s http://youtu.be/yBX-KpMoxYk?t=43m45s
- bjansn 13y ago
  Thanks for posting the link to the video. Just checked. Don't see them mention the use of historical data when you first launch an app. Which was the case. My first use experience on Nike+ Move was better because I can already seeing it work based on a weeks data. Funny part was that they don't really acknowledge the fact they import the data. Argus, another application which I like for activity tracking, did the same.
rismay 13y ago
I was extremely disappointed by the noise given by the M7. To make use of the data it spits out, you need to apply filters to clean it up. There are better out of the box solutions for programmers. For example, https://www.alohar.com/developer/ https://www.alohar.com/developer/. Also, it is not as battery efficient as they promised. It is more battery efficient than the 3rd party offerings. However, I ran iOS 7 on my iPhone 5 for months and got better battery life running the same apps. Amazing since by that time the battery on the iPhone 5 was 1 year old.
- rm999 13y ago
  > it is not as battery efficient as they promised ... got better battery life running the same apps The point of the article is that the M7 is always active (even if you aren't running apps), so the battery usage of the M7 is baked into the phone itself. This means you can't compare the M7 to non-M7 because you'll actually be comparing the 5S to earlier phones, which have different processors/batteries/etc.
- statusgraph 13y ago
  Not applying filters is precisely the right thing to do; it gives developers the most flexibility in interpreting the data. Filters by definition lose data, and can only be chosen with a specific use case in mind.
  - mturmon 13y ago
    True. Crudely speaking, some applications might be interested in high-frequency jitter ("how bumpy is it here") and others might be interested in low-frequency overall paths ("where in your neighborhood did you go").
- alariccole 13y ago
  No, whether or not an app is using the APIs does not affect the battery. As this article states, and for my experience building fitly.io, the M7 is detecting at all times. The APIs only access the activity logs.
- lnanek2 13y ago
quarterto 13y ago
The entire useful content of the article: The application was populated with my movement data of the past week instantly. Instead of needing to use the application for a week to get sense if I like it, I could decide immediately.
- bjansn 13y ago
  Thanks for your feedback!
- tenderLoins 13y ago
  Oh boy! Now I get to wonder if this information is implicitly available to an alphabet agency without my direct consent or awareness. I have to wonder, by what order of magnitude this improves the precision of "THEIR" geolocation data, when "THEY" collect on persons of interest. (they? they who? gee, who's they???)
  - melling 13y ago
    No, it's not needed. The cell towers provide sufficient information about your location. How long have you had a cell phone?
  - mulletbum 13y ago
    Not implicitly available. That would mean the app does not ask for permission, which is described in the article. implicitly gathered however is a different story.
- KaiserPro 13y ago
  Protip: the M7 is a sensor, not a storage device.
  - masklinn 13y ago
    > the M7 is a sensor, not a storage device. No, M7 is a coprocessor (according to Chipworks it's an NXP LPC18A1 which would be a customized LPC18xx chip), and it does handle the storage of the data it collects. The sensors are sitting around it on the logic board: http://69f7c92b9620aa3c39c3-1b6df36b3db30f59ea35f42c7c7c4ffb.r23.cf1.rackcdn.com/2013/09/new-mems.jpg http://69f7c92b9620aa3c39c3-1b6df36b3db30f59ea35f42c7c7c4ffb...
tsunamifury 13y ago
Apple openly highlights this to developers at the tech talks to encourage you to integrate it. I'm very curious what bioanalytics apple is collecting via the M7 though. Are they testing to see how you use your device to better inform the creation of a bioaugmentation device like the iwatch? As someone who has tried to design some augmentation software, getting an better informed persona about the user and transforming the UI to work based on car, train, bike, running would be an awesome future step.
- bjansn 13y ago
  Yes! That's what got me thinking as well. Apple briefly mentioned 'iOS in your car' when they announced iOS7 I believe. This will play a role. Tracking movement will become part of using a device. Think of surfacing information or starting background processes. Currently their Maps application switches view modes already. When you drive and park your car it switches to 'walking'. It would be great if there would be a way for developers to build in options and ask the user to 'start this app when I start driving'. This also accounts for Touch ID. Currently it's just for unlocking your phone. And more people in a family could unlock a device without sharing a code. On a usability level this also provides options; for example when I unlock my phone with my left thumb, open e-mail instantly. It's might not be novel, perhaps it's done before. But it sounds useful to me.
- alariccole 13y ago
  The Core Motion APIs give you the following timestamps for activity: running, walking, completely still (phone on the table), and "unknown" (either fidgeting, or a few seconds before the chip realizes you're doing one of the other activities). I'm sure it's a step towards an iWatch.
gesman 13y ago
It also includes alert to your spouse in case of repeated up and down movements detected outside of your primary residence :)
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

34 points by jcvangent 13y ago

girvo 13y ago

Interestingly, when the article started with this: "The M7 processor contains all the hardware for tracking purposes." I thought it was going to be a negative, but the end of the post was positive. I'm unsure how I feel about a chip that seems to be dedicated to tracking all that data from Day 1, what with all the surveillance talks lately... But then, I remember that using a mobile phone is pretty inherently insecure anyway; carriers know where you are at pretty much any point, text messages are terribly easy to get for any LEO-type adversary, etc. Still, the UX part of it is kind of neat, as are the benefits for battery life -- I do like the idea of low-power chips to handle tasks so the main application processor doesn't have to. I know a lot of phones actually have a dedicated co-processor for the Radio (which is what the radio firmware blobs run on), so it's not unprecedented.

azurelogic 13y ago
I thought this was going to be another Apple = Big Brother piece too. Having read too many articles like that lately, I was surprised at the ending. The post title on here feels kind of ominous...
- bjansn 13y ago
  Author here, I agree. Title could have been better for sure, it's in the end more about the UX part and how Apple supports their developers delivering a better experience to the iOS users.
  - hakcermani 13y ago
    Is the M7 data also reset on a phone reset ? Would be good to know.
    - bjansn 13y ago
      Probably, it stores the data on your phone somewhere. Probably is in your back-up as well? This should be somewhere in the docs. Don't have the time to look it up atm.

cheeaun 13y ago

I think this was slightly mentioned in the Apple Special Event on September 10 http://youtu.be/yBX-KpMoxYk?t=43m45s http://youtu.be/yBX-KpMoxYk?t=43m45s

bjansn 13y ago
Thanks for posting the link to the video. Just checked. Don't see them mention the use of historical data when you first launch an app. Which was the case. My first use experience on Nike+ Move was better because I can already seeing it work based on a weeks data. Funny part was that they don't really acknowledge the fact they import the data. Argus, another application which I like for activity tracking, did the same.

rismay 13y ago

I was extremely disappointed by the noise given by the M7. To make use of the data it spits out, you need to apply filters to clean it up. There are better out of the box solutions for programmers. For example, https://www.alohar.com/developer/ https://www.alohar.com/developer/. Also, it is not as battery efficient as they promised. It is more battery efficient than the 3rd party offerings. However, I ran iOS 7 on my iPhone 5 for months and got better battery life running the same apps. Amazing since by that time the battery on the iPhone 5 was 1 year old.

rm999 13y ago
> it is not as battery efficient as they promised ... got better battery life running the same apps The point of the article is that the M7 is always active (even if you aren't running apps), so the battery usage of the M7 is baked into the phone itself. This means you can't compare the M7 to non-M7 because you'll actually be comparing the 5S to earlier phones, which have different processors/batteries/etc.
statusgraph 13y ago
Not applying filters is precisely the right thing to do; it gives developers the most flexibility in interpreting the data. Filters by definition lose data, and can only be chosen with a specific use case in mind.
- mturmon 13y ago
  True. Crudely speaking, some applications might be interested in high-frequency jitter ("how bumpy is it here") and others might be interested in low-frequency overall paths ("where in your neighborhood did you go").
alariccole 13y ago
No, whether or not an app is using the APIs does not affect the battery. As this article states, and for my experience building fitly.io, the M7 is detecting at all times. The APIs only access the activity logs.
lnanek2 13y ago

quarterto 13y ago

The entire useful content of the article: The application was populated with my movement data of the past week instantly. Instead of needing to use the application for a week to get sense if I like it, I could decide immediately.

bjansn 13y ago
Thanks for your feedback!
tenderLoins 13y ago
Oh boy! Now I get to wonder if this information is implicitly available to an alphabet agency without my direct consent or awareness. I have to wonder, by what order of magnitude this improves the precision of "THEIR" geolocation data, when "THEY" collect on persons of interest. (they? they who? gee, who's they???)
- melling 13y ago
  No, it's not needed. The cell towers provide sufficient information about your location. How long have you had a cell phone?
- mulletbum 13y ago
  Not implicitly available. That would mean the app does not ask for permission, which is described in the article. implicitly gathered however is a different story.
KaiserPro 13y ago
Protip: the M7 is a sensor, not a storage device.
- masklinn 13y ago
  > the M7 is a sensor, not a storage device. No, M7 is a coprocessor (according to Chipworks it's an NXP LPC18A1 which would be a customized LPC18xx chip), and it does handle the storage of the data it collects. The sensors are sitting around it on the logic board: http://69f7c92b9620aa3c39c3-1b6df36b3db30f59ea35f42c7c7c4ffb.r23.cf1.rackcdn.com/2013/09/new-mems.jpg http://69f7c92b9620aa3c39c3-1b6df36b3db30f59ea35f42c7c7c4ffb...

tsunamifury 13y ago

Apple openly highlights this to developers at the tech talks to encourage you to integrate it. I'm very curious what bioanalytics apple is collecting via the M7 though. Are they testing to see how you use your device to better inform the creation of a bioaugmentation device like the iwatch? As someone who has tried to design some augmentation software, getting an better informed persona about the user and transforming the UI to work based on car, train, bike, running would be an awesome future step.

bjansn 13y ago
Yes! That's what got me thinking as well. Apple briefly mentioned 'iOS in your car' when they announced iOS7 I believe. This will play a role. Tracking movement will become part of using a device. Think of surfacing information or starting background processes. Currently their Maps application switches view modes already. When you drive and park your car it switches to 'walking'. It would be great if there would be a way for developers to build in options and ask the user to 'start this app when I start driving'. This also accounts for Touch ID. Currently it's just for unlocking your phone. And more people in a family could unlock a device without sharing a code. On a usability level this also provides options; for example when I unlock my phone with my left thumb, open e-mail instantly. It's might not be novel, perhaps it's done before. But it sounds useful to me.
alariccole 13y ago
The Core Motion APIs give you the following timestamps for activity: running, walking, completely still (phone on the table), and "unknown" (either fidgeting, or a few seconds before the chip realizes you're doing one of the other activities). I'm sure it's a step towards an iWatch.

gesman 13y ago

It also includes alert to your spouse in case of repeated up and down movements detected outside of your primary residence :)

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]