Microprocessor Report pries a few more secrets from the Apple A5 processor and asks if Intel should break itself in two

By _EDA360 Insider

June 2, 2011

A few weeks back, I wrote about the Apple A5 processor introduced along with the iPad2. At that time, there wasn’t much hard information about the detailed design of the processor. Now the Microprocessor Report’s Linley Gwennap has written a long article (subscription required) giving away a few more hardware details. Gwennap’s article also contains some interesting analysis. One key theme in Gwennap’s article is that Apple designs its own processors as a cost saving measure for its higher-priced consumer gear. He notes that application processor vendors need to charge higher margins than foundries to cover development, marketing, and sales costs so that system vendors like Apple can actually save money making high-volume consumer products with custom-designed application processors.

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