The iPhone 3G S uses a Samsung processor incorporating an ARM Cortex-A8 processor core and Imagination’s PowerVR SGX graphics core to achieve a significant new class of speed while remaining backwardly compatible with existing iPhone apps.

The use of the Cortex-A8 core has been cited by multiple sources, including an analysis by AnandTech. This makes the new iPhone 3G S very similar in terms of processor design to the Palm Pre, although Palm’s phone uses a device built by Texas Instruments.

ARM Processors

The Cortex-A8 is a seventh generation CPU core design licensed by ARM to a variety of manufacturers. The vast majority of all smartphones, handheld games and other mobile devices use ARM processors.

The Cortex-A8 class is referred to in general terms as ARMv7, not to be confused with ARM7, which was actually a third generation ARMv3 used in the Apple eMate300 a decade ago. Previous generations of iPhone and iPod touch used an ARM11 processor, part of the ARMv6 generation.

Apple partnered with its British equivalent Acorn in the late 80s to adapt Acorn’s RISC processor for use in mobile devices, forming the ARM partnership. Apple subsequently used a third generation ARM6 in its first Newton MessagePad in the early 90s.

By the time the company discontinued its Newton and eMate devices in 1998, ARM processors had become the most popular mobile processors available, in part due to ARM’s licensing of its highly efficient technology to a variety of chip manufacturers. Steve Jobs sold batches of Apple’s shares in the ARM partnership at a huge profit to help keep the company afloat.

When the company introduced the iPod in 2001, it used a fourth generation ARM7TDMI processor. The latest generations of the AirPort Extreme also use an embedded ARM processor.

ARM CPU generations

 S is for speed

The Cortex-A8 in the iPhone 3G S sports “a two-issue in-order core, capable of fetching, decoding and executing two RISC instructions in parallel,” according to AnandTech’s report, which also notes, “the ARM11 processor in the iPhone/iPhone 3G has a basic vector floating point unit, but the A8 adds a much more advanced SIMD engine called NEON. The A8 also has twice as many double precision FP registers as the ARM11.”

“The combination of higher clock speeds, more cache and a dual-issue front end results in a much faster processor,” the report states. “Apple claims the real world performance of the iPhone 3GS can be up to 2x faster than the iPhone 3G, and I believe that’s quite feasible.”

The report states that if the processor is running at 600MHz, it would draw three times the power of existing iPhone processors, but notes that in typical use, the device spends a lot of time in standby. Separately, Apple has detailed technologies for maximizing the performance of a processor by running it at less than its top rated clock speed while scheduling tasks more efficiently. This was done with the original iPhone.

As a result of new efficiency measures, Apple claims significantly longer battery life over the current iPhone 3G when using the iPhone 3G S for general processing tasks despite the big leap in performance and the extra power consumed.

Apple has increased the maximum rated battery life of the iPhone 3G S in WiFi internet browsing from 6 hours to 9 hours, video playback from 7 to 8 hours, and audio playback from 24 to 30 hours. Ratings for 3G browsing and talk time are unchanged, as the baseband processor that handles the intensive work of communicating with 3G data networks is independent from the general purpose ARM processor. Apple has bumped up rated 2G GSM talk time from 10 hours to 12.

SGX is for graphics

Just as ARM processor cores are the most widely used in mobile devices, Imagination Technology’s PowerVR graphics cores are also extremely popular in embedded appliations, commonly appearing as integrated together with an ARM processor on System on a Chip (SoC) devices.

PowerVR started out in the late 90s as a rival to 3dfx in the desktop PC graphics processor market, with both makers also vying for inclusion into the Sega Dreamcast video console in 1998. However, by 2001 the company’s third generation PowerVR began falling behind rival products from ATI and NVIDIA.

Imagination subsequently withdrew from the desktop market to focus on embedded graphics components with its highly efficient PowerVR MBX technology, which, like ARM, the company has widely licensed to a variety of device makers, including Apple.

PowerVR GPU generations

The latest technology generation is branded PowerVR SGX. Anandtech reports that the new graphics architecture improves over MBX in part in that “pixel, vertex and geometry instructions are executed by a programmable shader engine, which Imagination calls its Universal Scalable Shader Engine (USSE).”

The report also states that Imagination’s new SGX graphics cores range “from the PowerVR SGX 520 which only has one USSE pipe to the high end SGX 543MP16 which has 64 USSE2 pipes (4 USSE2 pipes per core x 16 cores). The iPhone 3GS, I believe, uses the 520 – the lowest end of the new product offering.” It has not yet been confirmed what version of the SGX design the new iPhone 3G S uses.

However, the report noted that “in its lowest end configuration with only one USSE pipe running at 200MHz, the SGX can push through 7M triangles per second and render 250M pixels per second. That’s 7x the geometry throughput of the iPhone 3G and 2.5x the fill rate. Even if the SGX ran at half that speed, we’d still be at 3.5x the geometry performance of the iPhone 3G and a 25% increase in fill rate. Given the 65nm manufacturing process, I’d expect higher clock speeds than what was possible on the MBX-Lite. Also note that these fill rates take into account the efficiency of the SGX’s tile based rendering engine.”

Apple’s video introduction of the new phone indicates significantly faster launching of and switching between applications and speedier browser rendering and other operations. Overall the company indicates up to a 2x performance improvement.

Source

The school is researching ways to use the Internet on the computer’s applications as a learning tool.

School bosses say youngsters today are perfectly at home with mobile phones, Nintendo Wiis, and PlayStations and many of them spend hours a day chatting on social networking sites.

Academy 360 is working with the University of Hull to instruct teachers in the technology young people use.

Teachers are being encouraged to explore the tools it offers them and put forward suggestions of how it could be included in the curriculum.

Chief executive of Academy 360 Paul Prest believes activities such as blogs, Google and games could be used to teach students.

He hopes to give each pupil an iTouch hand set which has the same features as the teachers’ equipment but without the phone.

And he aims to bring the new teaching practice into lessons at the Pennywell academy when the new term starts in September.

He said: “Academy 360 is working to provide a truly modern and innovative learning environment, where our teachers are constantly refreshing their skills to ensure that they are in touch with their students.

“This programme is part of a wider agenda of inspiring our community and presents a fantastic opportunity for Academy 360′s team to be part of a new learning process that will truly engage our young people, delivering a teaching approach that is centred around them.”

A college in Kent has already introduced a similar scheme hundreds of free iPods being handed out to its pupils so they can listen to lectures at their own leisure.

Mr Prest said: “This is not just about iPods and iPhones it’s about 21st century education.

“The world has changed significantly and young people use an awful lot of technology

“So we have been asking how we can make that leap of faith and bring this into the classroom.”

He demonstrated to the Echo how the iPhone could be used to convert kilometres into miles and English language into French.

Mr Prest also said plans were already in place to make sure pupils would be safe from the dangers of exploring the internet.

Source

The company is still on a roll and doesn’t need to unveil a flashy new product at Monday’s developers conference.

BURLINGAME, Calif. — Some think Apple should build a television set. Others think Apple should consider a netbook computer. Maybe it will even build a gaming console. Apple doesn’t talk about its future products. But at least one developer creating software for the company’s iPhone thinks Apple may be in no rush to leap into new businesses.

And considering Apple’s ( AAPL – news – people ) shares are up nearly 70% this year, Tapulous Chief Executive Bart Decrem has a point. His take: Expect Apple to double down on its hits, rather than spreading its bets around. Tapulous is the company behind “Tap Tap Revolution,” one of the iPhone’s most popular applications (see “Tapping Into iPhone Games”).
Article Controls

Apple has plenty to do with the iPhone right now. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has been signing distribution deals for the iPhone at a frantic pace. And the company is working with more than 25,000 developers to manage the release of an ambitious new operating system and development platform for the phone. Apple may see no need to take on more right now. “Apple has been pretty conservative about how they build out a family of products,” Decrem says.

Decrem has history on his side. After Apple introduced the original iPod in October 2001, it waited until January 2004 to add a second model to its lineup. By then, Apple was on its third iteration of the original iPod. Likewise, Apple may opt to introduce new models to its two-year-old iPhone line at a deliberate pace in an effort to grab as much of the smart phone market as it can, rather than chasing wild new opportunities. “My fundamental belief is that Apple will broaden its lead in the next few months,” Decrem says. “They may grab a huge share of next-generation mobile.”

Then there’s the online rumor mill, for what that’s worth. With just hours to go before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference begins Monday in San Francisco, a number of blogs are claiming the iPhone will get an upgrade, not a makeover. Among the most talked about new features: a faster processor, more memory and new applications such as a compass and the ability to record video. Some blogs were even circulating photos of what could be Apple’s next iPhone.

In fact, the biggest news Monday might not be a product at all. If Steve Jobs makes a cameo appearance–he’s been on a medical leave since January–Apple can afford to play it cool, because the rest of us surely won’t.

Source

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A surprise appearance by Apple Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs at the company’s annual developer conference could boost its stock on Monday, but his absence might trigger a bigger move in the other direction.

The Wall Street Journal kicked off speculation of an early return by the ailing Jobs, who had said he would be out until the end of June. Blogs and other media jumped on the report that the CEO could appear at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco on Monday.

Jobs, 54, the quintessential man in black, founded Apple, rescued it from mediocrity in the late 1990s, launched the iPod and the iPhone and is seen as its heart and soul.
ad_icon

Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek sees a rally of 1 to 5 percent in Apple’s stock if Jobs makes an appearance, but no downside if he doesn’t.

Global Equities Research senior analyst Trip Chowdhry said Apple’s stock will likely remain high if Jobs appears, but could sell off as much as 10 percent if he doesn’t, a scenario he finds more likely.

But the company’s strong performance while Jobs has been recuperating indicates he is no longer crucial to the company’s success, Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall said.

Stock in the Cupertino-based company closed at $144.67, about 85 percent ahead of January’s 52-week low of $78.20. But it was up less than 1 percent on Friday after news that Jobs might return early.

“It’s not just about Steve Jobs,” Marshall said. Investors are “very comfortable” with Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook as Apple’s next CEO, he added.

BMO Capital Markets analyst Keith Bachman said a Jobs cameo would strengthen Apple shares, but less than in the past.

“If he made a cameo appearance on Monday and the wind didn’t blow right through him, the stock would go up,” he said, but the size of the rally would depend on other factors such as announcements regarding Apple’s iPhone.

Apple’s stock is historically volatile during the company’s June developer conference. It dropped about 7 percent over the course of the conference in 2008 and about 4 percent in 2007.

“If this had happened one or two years before, the stock would have (had) huge volatility. But I think investors are conditioned to the fact that Steve’s health is a variable that needs to be dealt with on an ongoing basis,” Bachman said.

Apple managers are trying to coordinate Jobs’ return with a product launch or public event, the Journal reported, but cited sources that Jobs is “one real sick guy.”

AllThingsD, a website dedicated to “news, analysis and opinion about the digital revolution,” speculated that Jobs, who is known for ending presentations with “one more thing,” might himself be the surprise at the Monday keynote.

Wired.com reported that such a Jobs’ appearance would be “dramatic” and a “crowd pleaser,” but Gawker cautioned that Apple might not want a sickly leader on stage.

“The CEO is notoriously headstrong about these sorts of things. If he wants to show up on Monday, he will,” Gawker said.

Source

Analysts expect the company to unveil at the conference the latest model iPhone, which has more processing power and new features like video editing. The launch is expected in June or July, when original iPhone owners on a two-year service contract with AT&T Inc. (T) will be eligible for an upgrade.

Jobs announced his leave on January 14, and though the initial reaction was tumultuous, the past 5 months, the company has been operating smoothly without papa. The stock has in fact risen 68.4% in his absence, reflecting investor confidence.

Apple doled out a decent second-quarter report card, even without Jobs, beating earnings estimates by 22%, although the recession took a toll on the sales of Macintosh computers.

Apple sold 2.22 million Macs during the second quarter, representing a 3% unit decline from last year. The company also sold 11.01 million iPods, up 3% from last year, and 3.79 million iPhones, up 123%. Gross margin for the quarter rose to 36.4% from 32.9%.

Known for its conservative guidance, Apple sees third-quarter earnings of between 95 cents and $1 per share, on revenue of between $7.7 and $7.9 billlion. Analysts are currently looking for earnings of $1.14/share on revenues of $8.12 billion.

Source

By Dave Oliver

It can’t have been easy for Sony to have watched its iconic Walkman brand of portable music players so completely overtaken by Apple’s all-conquering iPod. But like John Connor standing up to the Terminators, Sony has finally come up with a device capable of fighting back. We took a close look at both devices to see which is worthy of your hard-earned.

Style
The iPod Touch is slimmer but bigger at 110x62x9mm and 115g compared to the X-series’ 97x53x11mm and 98g, though the Touch’s angled sides make it appear slimmer than it actually is. The Touch does look sleeker, though the Walkman’s rugged stone-effect sides and compact dimensions have a certain appeal. It also has hard buttons on the top and sides which allow you to control playback when it’s in your pocket.
Sony X-series Walkman: 8
Apple iPod Touch: 8

Overview
Price: £209 (16GB), £279 (32GB)
More info: Sony
Size: 97x53x11mm, 98g
Formats: Audio – MP3, AAC, PCM, WMA, Video – MPEG4, WMV, H.264
Computer interface: Sony Media Manager
Extras: Web browser, FM radio
Battery life: 33hrs (audio), 9hrs (video)

Screen
The Sony X-series’ trump card is its 3in OLED screen, which makes the iPod’s LCD look positively dowdy by comparison, though it is slightly bigger at 3.5in. This newish technology is just beginning to appear in TV screens and has the advantage of offering sharper resolution, faster rendering speed and a wider viewing angle, as well as being less demanding on the battery, due to its lack of a backlight. All good stuff, though the benefits aren’t quite so obvious on the very small screen as it is on larger models. Nevertheless, Sony’s screen is clearly a breed apart, with sharper edges, clearer detail and more vibrant colours.

The capacitive touch aspect of both screens is about the same, with just the right amount of pressure required to brush through menus and activate on-screen buttons.
Sony X-series Walkman: 9
Apple iPod Touch: 8

Sound quality
The Walkman has a range of audio effects that it wears very proudly on its sleeve (or at least its menu options). The iPod on the other hand offers the best sound it can manage as standard. The Walkman has Clear Audio and Clear Bass, plus DSEE (which tries to replicate elements which may have been lost in compression). The sound is always better with these options engaged, so you’ll never want to switch them off. Which begs the question – why make them an option?

The Walkman also has a five-band graphic equaliser with five presets and two programmable settings so you can set your own balance. The Touch has 22 EQ presets, which doesn’t offer the same flexibility.

The Walkman has a built-in noise cancellation option, which blocks out ambient noise such as traffic and trains. It only works with Sony’s supplied headphones, which are pretty good, and clearly ahead of the Touch’s for sound quality, though they’re lacking a little in the bass. Switching to our preferred Sennheisers on both devices however easily confirmed that the Walkman has the edge for sound quality, with fuller, more controlled bass, crystal clear midrange and additional sensitivity in the treble.

If for some reason you feel the need to play your music in public via loudspeaker, you’ll be disappointed with the Sony – it doesn’t have one. That said, it’s debatable whether the tinny speaker on the Apple device is preferable to none at all.

For audio flexibility and for overall sound quality, it has to be the Sony.

Source

Verdict: Achingly gorgeous and with some intriguing features, but it’s not the most practical of designs

The shuffle has always generated heated debate over the merits of the design. But you could never accuse Apple of resting on its design laurels, and its third generation iPod shuffle is the sexiest yet.

Small enough to pass as a hair clip or over-sized earring, there’s no denying that this little MP3 player has a huge amount of charm.

Apple claims it’s the smallest MP3 player in the world and we wouldn’t quibble: we’ve no idea how the designers managed to squeeze 4GB of memory and a battery big enough to offer ten hours of playback into a package this tiny.

To compensate for the lack of screen, this Shuffle has another trick up its sleeve: VoiceOver. It’s the first MP3 player that can talk to you. It will tell you what track is playing and who the artist is, talk its way through your playlists and conscientiously let you know when your battery is running low.

It’s no substitute for a screen – there’s no way of browsing by album, song title, genre or year for instance – but if you’re sold on the no-screen approach then it’s certainly an improvement.

As before, the shuffle comes with a spring-loaded clip on the rear to attach it to your clothing and the casing feels very solid indeed – there’s a free engraving service too, if you order one through Apple’s website. But we think that Apple has taken things too far here.

In order to keep the size down, there are no controls on the player itself, aside from a small three-way power switch that lets you swap between play-in-order and shuffle modes. Instead, volume and track-skipping duties have been offloaded to an inline remote that sits on the cord running to the right-hand earbud.

It’s so slim you hardly notice it’s there, but it’s fiddly to use and feels flimsy. The worse thing about it, though, is that in order to use anything other than the bundled earbuds (best described as mediocre) you have to buy either a compatible set of alternatives (the in-ear Apple headphones work and a limited number of third party manufacturers sell them too), or splash out on a special adapter.

There are undoubtedly irritations and annoyances then, not least over those outboard controls, but with a player this small and beautifully-crafted the foibles are easy to overlook.

It’s not a player for the audiophile and doesn’t aim to be, nor are there many features, but there’s plenty of storage space here for the money and if you’re the kind of person who goes for style over substance there’s very little out there to compete with it.

SPECIFICATIONS:

4GB flash memory; USB 2 interface; fixed lithium-polymer battery; 10-hour claimed battery life; bundled earbuds and remote control; supports MP3, AAC, Audible, Apple Lossless, WAV and AIFF; 45.7 x 17.5 x 8mm (WDH), 10.7g

Source

A lot of people have been posting questions and asking for suggestions whether or not they should buy an iPod Touch for themselves. Clearly, the existence of the iPod Touch, which is yet another revolutionary creation of Apple Inc., has buzzed up a lot of consumers today. It has become a hype, a hit, and a statement saying that when you have it, you simply belong.

Now, before deciding whether you should buy an iPod Touch or just settle for something less like iPod Nano or the Sony PSP, you have to be aware what really an iPod Touch is and what this innovative technology can offer you.

Designed and manufactured by Apple Inc. as an upgraded addition to the iPod family, the iPod Touch is a portable digital media player and mobile Wi-fi platform. Unlike the previous models of iPods including the Shuffle, Nano, and Classic, the iPod Touch makes use of the multi-touch graphical user-interface. It comes in 8, 16, and 32 GB sizes of flash memory.

This ground-breaking product of Apple was launched during the event The Beat Goes On on September 5, 2007. Now, it’s available in all Apple stores and Apple retail stores everywhere!

If you think that “slim” and “sexy” are only gives definition to people, then you would probably think again if you get a hold of the Apple iPod Touch.

The iPod Touch is designed with a slim factor for convenient hold. Its large touchscreen display covers most of the top surface of the unit. A physical home button is located at the bottom and off the touchscreen. The touchscreen display uses the same system as that of Apple’s current line of laptop computers. So, if you are familiar with the multi-touch trackpad system being implemented on most Apple laptop computers, then you wouldn’t find it difficult to work your way through the iPod Touch.

Everybody already knows this, but just in case one might forget, with the iPod Touch, you can play thousands of songs, watch hours of videos, load up several games, run multiple applications, and even browse the web. Yes, you heard it right! You can access the Internet and go online with simply the iPod Touch on hand.

Designed like a mini and portable Apple computer, the iPod Touch includes a Wi-fi technology and Safari web browser that will allow you to browse the web as long a net connection is available. It is the first iPod unit that can connect to and access the iTunes Store and Apple’s App Store because of its wireless capability.

The second generation iPod Touch is designed with a contoured back and comes with a built-in speaker, external volume control, and Bluetooth support.

The home screen of the iPod Touch is different from that of the iPod Classic and other iPod models. It features icon list of available applications including, but are not limited to, Photos, Music, Videos, iTunes, Safari, YouTube, Clock, Contacts, Calendar, Calculator, and Settings. Later models added Mail, Maps, Notes, Weather, and Stocks.

For more applications, users are advised to download from Apple’s App Store using the device. That is why the iPod Touch simply offers almost endless possibilities.

You could never really go wrong in buying an iPod Touch as it provides more than what its worth. So, no more thinking twice! Head out to the Apple retail stores near you and get your own iPod Touch that will forever touch your (technology-driven) life.

Source

While Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs may rule the roost today, having created must-have popular devices like the iPod and iPhone, 32 years ago he was “young and relatively in-experienced in the high volume consumer electronics business.”

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View has posted copies of two early Apple Computer Inc. documents — the first business plan for the Macintosh computer and Apple’s first IPO plan — which give insight into Apple’s early days.

In a statement that may make a modern reader chuckle, the 1977 IPO plan says, “Apple Computers’ Management team is young and relatively in-experienced in the high volume consumer electronics business.”

The Macintosh business plan, dated 12 July 1981 and set in antique Mac fonts that look primitive to a modern eye, contains the exhortation “and today is the first day of the rest of your life…”

It compares the performance of the $1,500 Mac (“64 to 128 k” memory) to other Apple computers like the $2,500 Apple II (“32 to 64 k”) and the $5,000 Lisa (“256 to 1000 k” and weighing “45 + lbs”).

“Observe that everyone is introducing products in Band 3,” the document states — “Band 3” being the niche occupied by the Apple II. “I currently know of no products being developed by competition for Band 2 (unfortunately this doesn’t mean there arn’t [sic] any!)” Band 2 is the niche Apple envisioned the Mac occupying.

Apple’s early strategy was to encourage businesses to move up market to the expensive Lisa and Apple III computers, costing between $3,000 and $5,000, while popular users would move down to the cheap Mac, “leaving Band 3 manufacturers out in the cold!!”

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) sized up potential markets for the new computer, particularly in education. “As Word Processors are replacing typewriters in the real world, students need to learn word processing, not just typing. MAC will help the student of the 80’s learn the tools of the 80’s.”

Planners guessed at about 19,000 high schools that might buy Macs and up to 11.2 million college students to whom they could pitch the computer.

“MAC also provides Entertainment and Education for every member of the family,” the plan says.

The plan estimates costs for making the Mac at $395. After distribution costs, Apple hoped to clear a 33 percent operating profit from each $995 computer, rising to a 55 percent operating profit from a fancier $1,495 computer.

About 63 people were working on the Mac project in December 1981, according to the plan.

And the plan gives insight into “open issues” that troubled the planners:

“Europe has not been given much consideration yet.”

“Who will manufacture Macintosh? Should we, should PCS, Singapore, Alps?”

“Is our schedule realistic?”

The preliminary plan for Apple’s initial public offering also shows much about the early nature of the business.

“Apple Computer Inc. is a new company which has not established a long history of operation,” the document says. “Apple has experienced extreme difficulty in obtaining its custom injected molded cases … Apple management expects that rapid growth and potential market fluctuations may present severe cash flow management difficulties.”

The IPO plan lists key company executives, including:

“S.P. Jobs, V.P. Operations, Attended Stanford and Reed College, Engineer – Atari – 2 Yrs”

“S.G. Wozniak, V.P. Engineering, Attended University of Colorado and University of California at Berkley [sic], Engr. Tennant – 1 Yr., Engr. Electroglass – 1 Yr., Engr. – Hewlett-Packard – 3 Yrs.”

“These two documents provide a rare glimpse into Apple’s history as a company,” said Computer Museum CEO and President John Hollar.

Steven E.F. Brown of the San Francisco Business Times, an affiliated publication, compiled this report.