QUOTE(http://daringfireball.net/2007/01/iphone_arm)
The Apple TV tech specs page says “Intel processor” and no more. (My guess is that it’s some sort of x86 CPU, and that the guts of an Apple TV pretty much resemble a stripped-down Mac Mini.)
But that’s an avalanche of information compared to what Apple has announced regarding the iPhone’s CPU, which is nada. The lack of an Intel shout-out or logo during the keynote led me to believe it was “not Intel”, and Intel itself has officially confirmed that they are not involved with the iPhone.
...
Sources familiar with the matter (as they say) hinted to me that the iPhone is powered by an ARM processor. This in itself is intriguing, as it is an entirely new chip architecture that Apple’s operating system is now apparently targeting.
...
Apple owned a big chunk of ARM because ARM was the company that supplied processors for the Newton; they dumped it, perhaps, not just for profit but because they didn’t see the need to maintain a stake in a company that produced processors that were useful for things like portable touch-screen communication devices. Whoops.
Another theory is that perhaps Apple hasn’t yet decided on exactly which processor to use in the actual production units of the iPhone. June is still pretty far away.
And the long shot? What if it’s not an ARM, but a PowerPC (because of, say, power consumption), and in which case Apple doesn’t want to mention it because they don’t want any sort of confusion regarding the still dripping-wet switch to Intel of the entire Mac line-up?
But that’s an avalanche of information compared to what Apple has announced regarding the iPhone’s CPU, which is nada. The lack of an Intel shout-out or logo during the keynote led me to believe it was “not Intel”, and Intel itself has officially confirmed that they are not involved with the iPhone.
...
Sources familiar with the matter (as they say) hinted to me that the iPhone is powered by an ARM processor. This in itself is intriguing, as it is an entirely new chip architecture that Apple’s operating system is now apparently targeting.
...
Apple owned a big chunk of ARM because ARM was the company that supplied processors for the Newton; they dumped it, perhaps, not just for profit but because they didn’t see the need to maintain a stake in a company that produced processors that were useful for things like portable touch-screen communication devices. Whoops.
Another theory is that perhaps Apple hasn’t yet decided on exactly which processor to use in the actual production units of the iPhone. June is still pretty far away.
And the long shot? What if it’s not an ARM, but a PowerPC (because of, say, power consumption), and in which case Apple doesn’t want to mention it because they don’t want any sort of confusion regarding the still dripping-wet switch to Intel of the entire Mac line-up?
Very interesting. I'm putting my money on PPC, actually.
