Apple A11 is 6 core (2+4)

[Eug]

And Apple stop selling all older products then? That's not how IP licensing works.

No. Of course not.

The rumour is that Apple’s first GPU is 2018, which means Imagine loses all that revenue from all of Apple’s flagship iPhones and iPads. Then each year the number of units sold with Imagine’s GPU diminishes greatly. After 3 years, Apple isn’t selling any Imagine IP at all.

 

[Eug]

Apple TV 4K said to have triple-core A10X Fusion with 3 GB RAM.

If true, that would be a kick in the nuts for those getting the iPhone 8, the third generation of iPhone with 2 GB RAM.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Apple TV 4K to have triple-core A10X Fusion with 3 GB RAM.

That would be a kick in the nuts for those getting the iPhone 8, the third generation of iPhone with 2 GB RAM.

DRAM prices are sky high right now.

 

[deathBOB]

Apple TV 4K said to have triple-core A10X Fusion with 3 GB RAM.

If true, that would be a kick in the nuts for those getting the iPhone 8, the third generation of iPhone with 2 GB RAM.

One draws power from the wall while the other uses a battery. They aren't comparable.

Is adding ram an issue for this generation when screen resolution isn't changing?

 

[NTMBK]

DRAM prices are sky high right now.

So are iPhone prices. Come on, their competitors are selling phones with 6GB RAM.

 

[Eug]

DRAM prices are sky high right now.

As mentioned, so are iPhone prices, always.

I also wonder when Apple negotiated the contract for its DRAM for the new iPhones.

But either way, it is a bit of a burn if the Apple TV gets 3 GB and the iPhone 8 doesn’t, esp. when DRAM prices are high. I wonder what the Apple TV will sell for. US$199? $249?

One draws power from the wall while the other uses a battery. They aren't comparable.

Is adding ram an issue for this generation when screen resolution isn't changing?

My iPhone 7 Plus has 3 GB RAM. Yeah it has a bigger battery, but it’s Apple’s choice not to put a bigger battery in the iPhone 8.

BTW, my 12” MacBook has 16 GB RAM. Some people used to argue that it didn’t need more than 8 GB and that 16 GB would cause too much of an impact on battery life on the 12” MacBooks anyway, justifying the lack of a 16 GB model in 2015 and 2016. Yet, the machine now exists in 2017.

Also, while 2 GB is OK (albeit not ideal) for iOS 11, it will be less OK for iOS 12.

 

[R0H1T]

So are iPhone prices. Come on, their competitors are selling phones with 6GB RAM.

OR 8 in case of 1+

 

[Lodix]

There is no argument to support Apple putting so little RAM in their phones when much smaller companies ( therefore they cant get as good deals in price as Apple ) sell phones with 6-8GB of RAM for less money.

 

[pjmssn]

The AXX is a great processor with probably more power than needed in a phone. I wish Apple would decide to allow other manufacturers to use their chips. However, until the smartphones start blending with laptop/portable computers, there is no need to more power and manufacturers should really try to improve battery life which is lacking for both iOS and Android phones... I would love a phone that could last 3-5 days of heavy use on battery.

 

[Eug]

The AXX is a great processor with probably more power than needed in a phone. I wish Apple would decide to allow other manufacturers to use their chips. However, until the smartphones start blending with laptop/portable computers, there is no need to more power and manufacturers should really try to improve battery life which is lacking for both iOS and Android phones... I would love a phone that could last 3-5 days of heavy use on battery.

Nah, the way Apple's OS updates work, their phones become laggy and less responsive after about 2-3 years after launch (aside from a few like the iPhone 6 Plus which was laggy the day it was launched).

It's not just due to the SoC, but also due to memory, but nonetheless, given the way we use iPhones and iPads these days, I don't think the chips are overpowered.

Apple could easily improve battery life though, just by including a bigger battery with a slightly thicker frame, but they don't want to do that. They just tell people to get the Plus model. Better aesthetics, and better profit margins.

 

[pjmssn]

This is in direct contradictions with all the claims that Apple's AXX processors are closing in on desktop CPUs in terms of raw computing power... with some online articles saying that it could power the next generation macbooks. A full desktop OS is a lot more resources hungry than iOS! I am not an iphone user, so I can't comment on how good the phones are, but my colleagues seem extremely happy with theirs.
My guess is that the thermal management is the issue and that the CPU can only achieve the advertised benchmark levels computing power for a short time. Anyway, the future of AXX will be interesting...

 

[ozzy702]

Nah, the way Apple's OS updates work, their phones become laggy and less responsive after about 2-3 years after launch (aside from a few like the iPhone 6 Plus which was laggy the day it was launched).

It's not just due to the SoC, but also due to memory, but nonetheless, given the way we use iPhones and iPads these days, I don't think the chips are overpowered.

Apple could easily improve battery life though, just by including a bigger battery with a slightly thicker frame, but they don't want to do that. They just tell people to get the Plus model. Better aesthetics, and better profit margins.

Yup. My 6S is already feeling very slow. Apple loves planned obsolescence, it's the cornerstone to their business plan.

 

[Eug]

The real A10X Fusion is 6-core. So, the leak that showed up today that A10X Fusion in Apple TV 5 is triple-core doesn't really make sense. However, could it be A10X with half the cores?

They did exactly that with Apple TV 3. Apple TV 3 had an A5 but with only a single (active) core. A5 in the iPhones an iPads were dual-core.

Yup. My 6S is already feeling very slow. Apple loves planned obsolescence, it's the cornerstone to their business plan.

I think the iPhone 6s (A9 and 2 GB RAM) is fine for the masses in iOS 10, and I suspect it will be OK for iOS 11 too, since my iPad Air 2 (A8X and 2 GB RAM) is OK for iOS 11. The 6s isn't my main driver though. It's my wife's and her needs for speed are not as much as mine. That's kinda what I meant by "fine for the masses".

The iPhone 6 Plus (A8 and 1 GB RAM) was problematic even with iOS 9 though, and it's just been getting worse with each release.

 

[NTMBK]

The real A10X Fusion is 6-core. So, the leak that showed up today that A10X Fusion in Apple TV 5 is triple-core doesn't really make sense. However, could it be A10X with half the cores?

They did exactly that with Apple TV 3. Apple TV 3 had an A5 but with only a single (active) core. A5 in the iPhones an iPads were dual-core.



I think the iPhone 6s (A9 and 2 GB RAM) is fine for the masses in iOS 10, and I suspect it will be OK for iOS 11 too, since my iPad Air 2 (A8X and 2 GB RAM) is OK for iOS 11. The 6s isn't my main driver though. It's my wife's and her needs for speed are not as much as mine. That's kinda what I meant by "fine for the masses".

The iPhone 6 Plus (A8 and 1 GB RAM) was problematic even with iOS 9 though, and it's just been getting worse with each release.

The A10(X) treats each pair of bigLittle cores as a single core, with invisible migration between the two.

 

[PricklyPete]

Yup. My 6S is already feeling very slow. Apple loves planned obsolescence, it's the cornerstone to their business plan.

That's interesting...I literally was going to post the exact opposite. What use cases are you finding it slow?

I kept my iPhone 5 for three years...thinking I will keep my 6s even longer.

 

[Jan Olšan]

It's going to be the same as with PCs - as the new versions of software (OS, web browser) come, it is not the CPU that becomes inadequate, you will crash into the RAM capacity (which Apple keeps lower than Android makers, sadly/luckily depending on whose benefit is discussed).
Also, when CPU demands of websites go up, it is gradual and it just means linear slowdown. But when the apps/browser overgrows your RAM capacity, you get swap thrashing or app terminations due to OOM. The effect is much more dramatic, performance drop is up to multiple orders of magnitude instead of linear slowdown.

So CPU is a red herring when discussing longevity of the device, here. (IMHO)

 

[Eug]

The A10(X) treats each pair of bigLittle cores as a single core, with invisible migration between the two.

OK, that would explain it. The leaks are coming from the software side, so it's likely the guys peeking into the software are just seeing that it is treating the Apple TV as a triple-core device.

However, what about A11 then? Is that why they removed the "Fusion"?

 

[R0H1T]

It's going to be the same as with PCs - as the new versions of software (OS, web browser) come, it is not the CPU that becomes inadequate, you will crash into the RAM capacity (which Apple keeps lower than Android makers, sadly/luckily depending on whose benefit is discussed).
Also, when CPU demands of websites go up, it is gradual and it just means linear slowdown. But when the apps/browser overgrows your RAM capacity, you get swap thrashing or app terminations due to OOM. The effect is much more dramatic, performance drop is up to multiple orders of magnitude instead of linear slowdown.

So CPU is a red herring when discussing longevity of the device, here. (IMHO)

It is that's why people, like me, loathe the artificial limits on RAM & storage.

 

[ozzy702]

That's interesting...I literally was going to post the exact opposite. What use cases are you finding it slow?

I kept my iPhone 5 for three years...thinking I will keep my 6s even longer.

Just general use. Opening apps, switching between apps, etc. It's significantly slower after one of the last updates.

 

[Ajay]

Apple TV 4K said to have triple-core A10X Fusion with 3 GB RAM.

If true, that would be a kick in the nuts for those getting the iPhone 8, the third generation of iPhone with 2 GB RAM.

Damn, and we just bought a Roku a few weeks ago. The current AppleTV seemed outdated :-(

 

[PricklyPete]

Just general use. Opening apps, switching between apps, etc. It's significantly slower after one of the last updates.

Maybe I am just old...not experiencing this at all and I am on my phone all day.

 

[Lodix]

The Apple TV is plugged to the wall so they probably disabled the little cores.

And their SOCs usually are very good at maintaining the peak performance for long time.

 

[FIVR]

I don't really understand a lot of what Apple does vis a vis the Ax chips. They seem to add cores, subtract cores, add L3, remove L3... just do whatever. But it works! Usually a lot better than the competition, too.


I'm sure this release will be equally perplexing yet impressive.

 

[thunng8]

Just general use. Opening apps, switching between apps, etc. It's significantly slower after one of the last updates.

Maybe get your phone checked? my 6S plus is still super quick. I recently installed iOS11 beta and it didn't slow down at all.

Did a quick test with a Samsung s8 and it is still quicker in general use than that phone.

 

[R0H1T]

I don't really understand a lot of what Apple does vis a vis the Ax chips. They seem to add cores, subtract cores, add L3, remove L3... just do whatever. But it works! Usually a lot better than the competition, too.


I'm sure this release will be equally perplexing yet impressive.

It's almost as if they're experimenting or something, I wonder why?