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Report: Apple mulling second Israeli facility after Anobit purchase

Daniel Cooper — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:19:00 EST

It looks like Apple's acquisition of Anobit was only one part of its Israel-based plans -- business daily Calcalist is claiming that the company will open a research center there by the end of February. It's unrelated to the purchase of the flash-chip maker, since Ed Frank was apparently despatched to scope out suitable bases for a new facility in early 2011. It's reportedly going to be based in the Matam Technology District, south of Haifa, adjacent to similar facilities operated by Microsoft, Intel and Philips. It's already received hundreds of resumes for engineers: it's looking for those with specific know-how in chip development, hardware testing and verification. The new complex is to be kept separate from Anobit, with no communication allowed between the two teams. Another tidbit that emerged from yesterday's conference call was that Bob Mansfield is integrating Anobit's team into Apple's, but company founder Ehud Weinstein will depart for pastures new -- much in the same way that some of Intrinsity and PA Semi's staff departed after being swallowed by Cupertino's cash.

Report: Apple mulling second Israeli facility after Anobit purchase originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More details emerge on Apple's A5 chip for upcoming iPad 2 and iPhone 5

Paul Miller — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:04:00 EST

So, AppleInsider has some new info on Apple's successor to the A4, which we were talking up last week, and our sources say it's spot on. Specifically, AI claims that Apple is moving to dual-core SGX543 graphics, up from the A4's single SGX535 GPU (also known as the PowerVR 535). What's particularly great about this move is that the graphical power improvement is rated at around 4X the current generation -- which makes a true 4X resolution iPad "Retina Display" upgrade seem much more of a possibility. We're also starting to see 1080p HDMI video output as a "default" spec in this year's generation of devices, so there's no reason Apple will want to be left out -- particularly in the Apple TV -- and these dual graphics cores could handle that easily. The same cast of A4 characters are to credit for this new A5 generation, including the Apple-owned Intrinsity and PA Semi, while Samsung will again do the production duties. But details aside, we're just excited to play around with all this new horsepower when it hits -- apparently the PSP 2 is rumored to use the same graphics architecture with even more cores. Isn't Moore's law a grand thing?

More details emerge on Apple's A5 chip for upcoming iPad 2 and iPhone 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's A4 is like Samsung's S5, except where it's not

Sean Hollister — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:53:00 EST

Though the Apple iPad and the Samsung Wave most assuredly share the same brain, EE Times would like you to know there's more to a chip than its core -- analyzing Apple's system-on-a-chip designs in detail back to early iPhones, the publication noticed that Cupertino's silicon both has custom design quirks on top of ARM and shows heavy influence from Samsung as well. EE Times claims that while the A4 and Samsung S5PC110 are similar, there are certainly differences, enough to call the A4 a custom design. Essentially, Apple has a taken a one-size-fits-all product originally engineered to meet the needs of a broad range of OEMs and reduced its complexity, footprint, and cost to match Apple's particular goals. As far as whether PA Semi or Intrinsity had a hand in that design, the authors suggest only the latter seems very involved. What all this means for intellectual property questions is anyone's guess -- we'll let the lawyers fight that one out -- but when you encounter diehard fans that claim one's ripping off the other, at least now you'll be able to calmly explain the situation. Find the deep technical dive at our source link.

Apple's A4 is like Samsung's S5, except where it's not originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google acquires server hardware startup Agnilux, a bevy of former Apple / PA Semi employees in tow?

Ross Miller — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:42:00 EST

It's no secret that Google's been on something of a shopping spree as of late, buying startups left for right like it was trying to win the final round of Supermarket Sweep. This latest one's a bit more interesting, though. Agnilux was borne of former PA Semi / Apple engineers, and its director of application software, Scott Redman, used to be a software architect at TiVo -- basically, it's got some talent behind it, and although no projects have ever been announced, the New York Times suggested back in February that "some kind of server" was being made, and there was a partnership with Cisco that we'd assume has now gone the wayside. At any rate, the company -- and probably more important, the employees -- now seem to be the property of Google, who could probably use a few good server men and women in pretty much all aspects of the company.

Google acquires server hardware startup Agnilux, a bevy of former Apple / PA Semi employees in tow? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's A4 SoC faces Qualcomm Snapdragon in knock-down-drag-out benchmarking test

Darren Murph — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 01:57:00 EST

Up until now, a shroud of mystery has surrounded Apple's custom engineered A4 system-on-chip; we know it's clocked at 1GHz, likely tied to Apple's prior acquisition of P.A. Semi and manufactured by Samsung. Outside of that, the only other knowledge we've gained has come not from the mouth of Cupertino, but from the extracting wizards over at iFixit. The A4 contains at least three layers of circuitry layered on top of each other, though it's packaged just like the iPhone processor: microprocessor in one package and two memory modules in the other package. We also learned that the iPad RAM is actually inside of the A4 processor package, and we're expecting to learn even more from those folks in the coming days. All that said, there's still much debate on whether Apple's own silicon can stand up to Qualcomm's heralded 1GHz Snapdragon, the chip powering Google's Nexus One among other things. AnandTech pitted their iPad against the iPhone 3GS (600MHz ARM Cortex A8) and the aforesaid Nexus One (1GHz Snapdragon QSD8250), using a number of website loads as the primary benchmark. Overall, the A4 proved to be around 10 to 30 percent faster, though it's impossible to say what effect the operating system has on things. Have a gander at that source link for more -- we get the feeling the competitions have just begun.

Apple's A4 SoC faces Qualcomm Snapdragon in knock-down-drag-out benchmarking test originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Apr 2010 01:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad confirmed to use PowerVR SGX graphics, Apple job posting suggests A4 chip will hit other products

Donald Melanson — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:27:00 EST

It may not be as big a surprise as the A4 itself was, but Apple has now confirmed via the latest iPad SDK Beta 3 documentation that the iPad does indeed use PowerVR SGX graphics hardware as part of its custom system-on-a-chip, which flatly contradicts previous reports of A4 using Mali, and lines up with what our pal Anand Shimpi has been telling us lately. What Apple doesn't confirm, unfortunately, is exactly which chip in the PowerVR SGX family the iPad uses, so it's still at least possible that it could pack a bigger punch than the iPhone or iPod touch.

In related news, a recent Apple job posting has now also offered up the first hard evidence that Apple might actually be putting its huge investment in A4 to use other platforms besides the iPad -- shocking, we know. That job is for an Engineering Manager, who would lead a team focused on the "bring-up of iPhone OS on new platforms," and would otherwise be responsible for "low level platform architecture, firmware, core drivers and bring-up of new hardware platforms" -- experience with ARM-based SoCs is also an "additional success factor." Sound like the job you've been waiting for? Then hit up the link below for the complete details.

iPad confirmed to use PowerVR SGX graphics, Apple job posting suggests A4 chip will hit other products originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's A4 chip is ARM Cortex A9 with an ARM Mali GPU?

Vlad Savov — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:44:00 EST

For some of us, amid all the hubbub about revolutions and whatnot yesterday, the most significant announcement on hand was Apple's supposedly custom A4 CPU. Alas, in the cold and brutal light of the morning after, we're hearing that it is in fact a system-on-a-chip driven by a Cortex-A9 MPCore CPU "identical" to the one found inside NVIDIA's Tegra 2, while besting the iPhone 3GS significantly with its 1GHz speed and multicore architecture. The A4 is composed of that Cortex barnburner, an integrated memory controller, and the Mali GPU, making it an all ARM affair -- though we still don't know how much Apple and PA Semi did in terms of arranging and integrating those components within the silicon. While still not 100 percent confirmed, it would seem there were no revolutions on the iPad's processing front -- just a rebranded bit of well engineered hardware.

Apple's A4 chip is ARM Cortex A9 with an ARM Mali GPU? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Analysts debate P.A. Semi's role in forthcoming Apple wares

Darren Murph — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:19:00 EST

It's easy to forget that Apple snapped up P.A. Semi for a song way back when, but now that we're just days, hours and seconds away from Apple's expected tablet reveal, a new wave of processor-related conjecture is hitting the fan. Richard Doherty, director of technology consulting firm Envisioneering Group, has come forward with some exceedingly detailed rumors on said tablet, a touchscreen MacBook and an OS X-based unicorn that lives in the cloud. As the story goes, Apple's pickup of P.A. Semi was primarily an effort to acquire a huge pool of engineering talent to use for its own internal designs, and now Doherty is saying that "before the year is out, Apple will have the most powerful, lowest-cost SoC in the industry." According to him, there's nothing from "ARM licensees or Intel that could challenge the power-per-watt, the power-per-buck, the power-per-cubic-millimeter of size," and he anticipates that four new products are in the pipeline from Cupertino. Need details? How's about a touchscreen iMac, an "iPod touch on steroids" with a 5-inch display, and "two different versions of media pads in the 7- to 9-inch (screen size) area." Alright Dick, you just put your reputation on the line -- here's hoping you've got your story straight.

Update: Looks like UBS Investment Research has been hearing something similar. According to it, the forthcoming tablet "will be powered by a processor designed by P.A. Semi and built by Samsung."

Analysts debate P.A. Semi's role in forthcoming Apple wares originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple tablet rumors strike back: 9.6-inch with HSDPA and P.A. Semi processor coming February 2010?

Ross Miller — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:17:00 EST

Now that all that iPod mess is over and done with, looks like it's as good of time as any to return to the world of Apple tablet rumors. A report from Taiwan Economic News starts us off right, with "industry sources" telling the outlet it'll have a 9.6-inch multitouch screen, built-in HSDPA (so much for Verizon), a P. A. Semi processor, a "long lasting battery pack," and a $799 to $999 price tag. Most to all of that sounds fairly familiar, but coming along with it is a new timeline: shipments will reportedly be delivered to Apple this December in preparation for a launch in February 2010. As for component providers, Taiwanese company DynaPack will reportedly be the exclusive supplier of battery packs, as much as 300,000 per month, while iPhone screen-maker Wintek will be doing the display duties here, too. The author in question here does appear to have some manufacturing sources -- it looks like he was right about the Acer Timeline -- but at this point, we're not ready to believe anything without some photographic evidence of Steve Jobs personally adding the magical unicorn tears.

[Via TabletAge]

Filed under: Handhelds

Apple tablet rumors strike back: 9.6-inch with HSDPA and P.A. Semi processor coming February 2010? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple tablet rumored for launch early next year, for serious this time: seriously

Paul Miller — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:34:00 EST

After what AppleInsider claims has been four years of development "riddled with setbacks," Apple is purportedly finalizing its long-rumored tablet for an early 2010 launch. AppleInsider claims to have been tracking the device get bounced back to the drawing board repeatedly over the past few years, but says that Steve Jobs is finally happy with the product and there's an internal go-ahead to get this thing ready for next year, barring any other setbacks. Purported specs include a 10-inch screen, 3G data and a custom ARM processor courtesy of its P.A. Semi purchase -- after previously considering Intel's Atom, as the story goes. Rumors elsewhere point to Verizon data instead of AT&T, but that might just be wishful thinking. While AppleInsider still claims the device is positioned somewhere between an iPhone and a laptop, its inside sources apparently didn't give the thumbs up to early artist renditions of the handheld, and so AI's new and "improved" render is above -- striking fear in the heart of aesthetes everywhere.

Sure, we've heard so many iterations of Apple tablet rumors over the years, with varying degrees of confidence behind them, that it's really hard to latch onto yet another promise of this supposedly inevitable device. Still, this is what it is: a decent rumor with some reasonable excuses for "delays" and a glorious promise of tablet nirvana right around the corner. What more could an Apple rumorphile want?

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

Apple tablet rumored for launch early next year, for serious this time: seriously originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IBM slaps Apple with a lawsuit for recruiting top chip designer -- like they were going to use him anyways

Paul Miller — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:45:00 EST

In broad, soap operatic strokes of the finest sort, IBM and Apple are at each other's throats over Apple's latest recruit: IBM's vice president of microprocessor technology development. Improbably named Mark Papermaster, the man in question is responsible for IBM's blade server division, and IBM is pretty sure there's a non-compete in there somewhere, especially with Apple's recent acquisition of PA Semi, a chip developer with PowerPC technology similar to IBM's -- IBM has filed lawsuits both against Apple in California (a state traditionally indifferent to non-competes) and against Papermaster in New York. We're not going to get into all the sordid details, but just because IBM and Apple are very, very angry at each other right now doesn't mean they're mad at you. Probably.

Filed under: Desktops, Handhelds

IBM slaps Apple with a lawsuit for recruiting top chip designer -- like they were going to use him anyways originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More iPhone 3G details: future Apple-made chips, varying visual voicemail, and new video features

Ryan Block — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:14:00 EST

There's still plenty of emerging details and news on the iPhone 3G kicking around, but here's what you need to know from the minor bits floating around over the past few days:

Jobs also told NYT that Apple's acquisition of PA Semi was, in fact, intended to reduce Apple's reliance on third-party chip makers. Specifically, he said, "PA Semi is going to do system-on-chips for iPhones and iPods." So, guess that's that.
Per the feature showing up missing on a number of Apple's international iPhone 3G product pages, iLounge compiled a list of carriers which may or may not planning on implementing visual voicemail. Vodafone in Europe, for example, will not have it at launch, and will delay its rollout until later this year.
A video of a new iPhone beta build running on live hardware shows videos now in portrait or landscape modes, and includes video playlists. We'll take it.
Although DT's iPhone page reads differently, German paper Welt has it that T-Mobile Germany will be selling it for €1 -- so basically free, not unlike O2's iPhone 3G launch in the UK.

Update: T-Mobile just made the German pricing official.

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]

Read - Jobs mentions PA Semi plans
Read - Visual voicemail support varies from carrier to carrier
Read - Beta build with portrait-mode video
Read - DT releasing it for €1 (see also their iPhone page)

Filed under: Handsets, T-Mobile, Apple, iPhone OS

More iPhone 3G details: future Apple-made chips, varying visual voicemail, and new video features originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More iPhone 3G details: future Apple-made chips, varying visual voicemail, and new video features

Ryan Block — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:14:00 EST

There's still plenty of emerging details and news on the iPhone 3G kicking around, but here's what you need to know from the minor bits floating around over the past few days:

Jobs also told NYT that Apple's acquisition of PA Semi was, in fact, intended to reduce Apple's reliance on third-party chip makers. Specifically, he said, "PA Semi is going to do system-on-chips for iPhones and iPods." So, guess that's that.
Per the feature showing up missing on a number of Apple's international iPhone 3G product pages, iLounge compiled a list of carriers which may or may not planning on implementing visual voicemail. Vodafone in Europe, for example, will not have it at launch, and will delay its rollout until later this year.
A video of a new iPhone beta build running on live hardware shows videos now in portrait or landscape modes, and includes video playlists. We'll take it.
Although DT's iPhone page reads differently, German paper Welt has it that T-Mobile Germany will be selling it for €1 -- so basically free, not unlike O2's iPhone 3G launch in the UK.

Filed under: Cellphones

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Details emerge on Apple's acquisition of chip designer P.A. Semi

Donald Melanson — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:04:00 EST

There weren't a whole lot of firm details on the reasons behind Apple's acquisition of chip designer P.A. Semi to be had back when the deal was announced last month, but it seems that a bit of the veil of mystery may now be lifting, at least if the word EETimes is hearing from its unnamed source is to be believed. Apparently, Apple was keen to have P.A. Semi's crack chip-making team design a new chip for them, but P.A. Semi had "more or less burnt through its venture capital funds," leaving them unable to take on the project. According to EETimes source, that meant that the only way to get P.A. Semi involved was for Apple to pay off all of P.A.'s investors and bring the company in-house, something they were able to do for a mere $280 million or so. Of course, as EETimes points out, the big question remaining is exactly what it is that Apple wants P.A. Semi to help it out with, and that's a detail we'd expect to take considerably longer to trickle out.

[Via Mac Rumors]

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Details emerge on Apple's acquisition of chip designer P.A. Semi originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 May 2008 00:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple buys P.A. Semi chip designer, Intel says wha?

Thomas Ricker — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:17:00 EST

Apple loves 'em some Intel right? Sure, it was the Intel power-per-watt roadmap which Jobs cited as the reason to ditch IBM's PowerPC platform. Analysts have since been tripping over themselves with speculation about future generation iPhones and iPod touches going Intel -- especially since the arrival of Atom. So what will analysts make of Apple's $278 million in cash purchase of the 150 person P.A. Semi microprocessor design company? The company was founded by Dan Dobberpuhl, lead designer of DEC's doomed Alpha and StrongArm processors, and responsible for the introduction of a 2GHz, 64-bit dual-core microprocessor which in February 2007 was said to be 300% more efficient than comparable chips running at 5 to 13 watts. Forbes speculates that Apple will wrap its ARMs around the company's boutique processor in a bid for exclusivity -- a move meant to differentiate itself from competition using Intel and other off-the-shelf processors. Interestingly, after a long courtship with P.A. Semi, the acquisition discussions only began in the last few weeks. Say what you want about Jobs, but he's nothing if not a man who knows what he wants and makes damn sure he gets it.

Update: Oh shazam! We just remembered that P.A. Semi and Apple had been this close to a deal just prior (as in minutes) to the announced Intel switch in 2006. Interesting, very interesting. Why now Apple?

Read -- P.A. Semi PWRficient processor announcement
Read -- Forbes

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Apple buys P.A. Semi chip designer, Intel says wha? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple considered small chip startup over Intel?

Evan Blass — Mon, 22 May 2006 16:55:00 EST

Steve Jobs' announcement -- almost a year ago, now -- that Apple was transitioning to x86 processors was one of the most shocking bits of news that the industry had ever heard, and yet there were a group of employees at a startup chip manufacturer called PA Semi who were even more shocked than most, according to reports, because right up until that keynote, they were sure that their company, and not Intel, would be chosen to supply the brains for what's now known as the MacBook family of laptops. The Register is reporting that PA Semi had a close relationship with Apple in the months prior to the switch, and that the two companies were working together to gauge the feasibility of running native PowerPC-coded software on 2GHz dual-core chips that PA Semi claims run at only a third of the 21 to 25 watts consumed by Intel's Core Duo models. Sources who spoke to El Reg say that executives were virtually positive that they'd win the contract, and that CEO Dan Dobberpuhl was understandably "furious" when he found out PA Semi had been passed over. The company still has a bright future developing chips for the embedded market and storage devices, but they'll probably never again have the opportunity to become an instantly-recognized name like Intel, AMD, or IBM.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Apple considered small chip startup over Intel? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 May 2006 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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