From Atom to Apple

[Mr. Bond]

It’s no secret why Apple decided to utilize ARM processor technology in both its wildly successful iPhone and iPod Touch. Besides being one of the most cost-effective of today’s embedded chipsets, the ability to run at higher clock speeds without sacrificing power consumption was clearly an attractive feature, considering Apple’s needs . But not to be outdone, it seems Intel is banking on its newly introduced line of Atom embedded processors, not only to meet, but exceed such crucial features in the mobile computing world. Of course, what does such a move mean for Apple?

 

It’s clear that Apple wants to push the boundaries of how and where media can travel, evident through such consumer brands as iTunes and the AppleTV. The ability to acquire, transfer and experience media as fluidly and seamlessly as possible appears to be one of Apple’s major focuses - and the framework is already in place today. The newly enhanced iTunes store, when fully mature, should continue to offer a one of the easiest multimedia experiences available. Apple hardware, meanwhile, continues to demonstrate a degree of coherence and compatibility almost unheard of from any other company.

 

One of Atom’s prime focuses is on what Intel refers to as the mobile internet devices, or MIDs – smaller than UMPCs, but still delivering the same rich multimedia and internet-driven experiences consumers have grown accustomed to. It’s not hard to see that Apple shares some of these same goals – the iPhone’s Safari, for example, has set the bar for the mobile browsing experience, allowing users to experience media online – on-the-go – in previously unheard of ways. Such similar focuses make it only natural to wonder – what could Apple do with such a platform?

 

While the Atom’s size may be a little on the large side for the traditional mobile phone, it could prove to be a powerful asset for future unconventional devices, similar in nature to the iPhone. Much like its ARM rivals, the Atom chipset claims aim to offer superior clock speeds at but a fraction of the energy consumption. This is crucial, particularly when used in mobile phones and other devices. A generous 1GB of ram is the chipset’s limit, while WiFi, Bluetooth and even WiMax round out Intel’s networking options. Also unique is Intel’s dedicated video decoding hardware; while Apple already employs such technology in everything from it’s iPods to iPhones, what makes Intel’s offering unique is its capability to decode both 720p and 1080i HD video. One can only imagine how well such an implementation would work with its iTunes online store – especially with Apple’s recent foray into HD content distribution.

 

Still, one of the most attractive reasons for employing the Atom chipset would be Apple’s return to an x86 platform. Currently, Apple’s OS X is being developed for three distinct architectures – x86, PPC and now ARM, for both the iPhone and iPod Touch. Reducing the number of architectures to two (and eventually one, with PPC’s inevitable demise), would not only free up time and money, but reduce the risk of diluting OS X’s core development. Also interesting is Intel’s decision to make its Atom processors compatible with its Core 2 Duo instruction set – complete with technologies like hyper-threading and SSE3. Such capabilities would not only make modifying existing OS X code a simpler affair, but optimization as well.

 

It will be interesting to see what the future holds, not only for Intel’s Atom platform, but the entire MID market. Apple’s no stranger to architecture switches, and it definitely seems that - on the surface, at least - Intel has an offering that will be sure to compete with some of ARM’s most successful chipsets. Yet, only time will tell whether such technologies will find their ways into the hands of consumers – perhaps even in the form of another Apple device.

[Deviant0ne]

Very interesting and well written read.

[olofd]

oohh... Mister bond

You are a good writer, indeed...

 

The CPU's are getting small, and fast

The Memorysticks are getting, Big and fast

Next gen. devices will be able to, scale, play compressed video and contain nice storage possibilitys.

 

Iphone 2 will be an revolutonary device

[JedixJarf]

Well I dont think iPhone 2 will be as revolutionary as iPhone was.

 

Mr. Bond, great writing. It would be great to see an x86 architecture in the iPhone. The possibilities would be simply amazing.

[mfker]

This can only be a good thing for consumers as you can bet ARM will respond and hopefully a price war will be the result.

[meilon]

Wow! Well written post Bond! This atom chip will extend the media experience in a great way! In flight mode you may be able to watch many HD videos in 10hrs without charging – that would be awesome! I’m really looking forward to the iPhone 2 because the first model lacks of 3G support which is essential for me. I hope this news and the lowered prices for iPhones all over the world are small hints for the next iPhone generation! I hope the next iPhone is out until January next year when my contract ends

[Kevin Sherman]

This can only be a good thing for consumers as you can bet ARM will respond and hopefully a price war will be the result.

 

Well, ARM is really an archteture, not a company. And IIRC, many ARM processors are made by Intel (XScale) not sure is Apple is using Intel's chips or not. In other words, there is not likely to be a price war of sorts.

 

But I could be wrong

[marliwahoo]

Well written indeed.

[Urbz]

Well, ARM is really an archteture, not a company. And IIRC, many ARM processors are made by Intel (XScale) not sure is Apple is using Intel's chips or not. In other words, there is not likely to be a price war of sorts.

Then again if Apple is buying from Intel, they don't exactly have to worry about prices now do they?

[(MoC)]

Very interesting concept. Well written!!

[mfker]

Well, ARM is really an archteture, not a company. And IIRC, many ARM processors are made by Intel (XScale) not sure is Apple is using Intel's chips or not. In other words, there is not likely to be a price war of sorts.

 

But I could be wrong

 

 

Then again if Apple is buying from Intel, they don't exactly have to worry about prices now do they?

 

I see that ARM licenceses their architecture to other companies.

I am pretty sure that ARM will still respond and it will be interesting to see how that happens with a big hitter like Intel essentially taking their business.

[Mr. Bond]

Thanks for the nice comments guys! Hopefully I'll get the chance to write some more articles now and then.

 

I see that ARM licenceses their architecture to other companies.

I am pretty sure that ARM will still respond and it will be interesting to see how that happens with a big hitter like Intel essentially taking their business.

 

mfker's right - while ARM is an architecture, they are the company responsible for designing the architecture, which they then license out. As someone pointed out, the XScale was Intel's attempt to license such technology, in an attempt to beat ARM at their own game. Of course, such an attempt ultimately failed, which is why most of the XScale brand/chipset now resides with Marvell. It seems to me that Atom is Intel's chance to rebound, and refocus on their x86 roadmap.

 

Also, I find it incredibly unlikely any of this will be found in an iPhone 2 - not only was this tech only recently announced, but I take it 2nd gen iPhone work has been going on for quite a few months now. Seeing as it's most likely just a 3G update, I doubt we'd be seeing a massive architecture change just yet - it would create an incredibly uneeded hassle, especially with regards to SDK/app compatibility. I see this more as something that could be incorporated in future devices.

 

While in this article I focused on Atom's embedded chips, I didn't really touch upon the Centrino versions which were announced as well. These are more the type of chips that would be found in low-end laptops and UMPC's, and seeing as Apple already uses the Intel architecture in their desktop/portable products, it would seem that the likelihood of finding the Atom in a Macbook Air/AppleTV device is a big possibility as well. Come to think of it, it would be interesting to see whether the use of an Atom-type chipset could drive a product like the Air into a more consumer-friendly price range for an ultra-portable.

[REVENGE]

Yay, more fuel for the rumor mill fire!

 

http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=93357

 

Once again, don't bet on seeing anything using this generation of Atom processors [read too much TDP for an iPhone like device]. But remember, Intel promised 24-hour battery life, dual core MIDs and UMPCs by 2010, so a move from ARM to x86 would seem much more plausible in about a year and a half. Possible TDPs for that generation of devices: 0.5W - 1W. Along with improvements in 3/Pre4 G radio designs and WiMAX.

[meansizzler]

Must be joking, 720P and 1080i playback!!!!!, Intels Current line of CPU's in the $800 Pocket PC Phones can't even play back WMV at a decent bitrate, they max out at 320*240@600KB/s on the fastest 624MHZ CPU, that's like less than half the bitrate of the zune....