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A7

Apple iPad Mini 2 tablet specs leaked

technologyEdward Kiledjian
Apple's iPad Mini

Apple's iPad Mini

I know you are really hoping for a retina equipped iPad mini but industry rumors aren't pointing in that visually appealing direction. Most unnamed industry insiders believe the retina iPad mini will only be released next year, so what will Apple's next mini iteration bring?

It's a safe bet to assume it will cone in the same form factor we know and love but will pack: 

  • a TouchID sensor
  • a 64-bit A7 chip
  • same color combinations as the iPhone 5s

Indeed leaked parts we have seen coming from China seem to show a ring around the home button which would indicate a TouchID sensor. Why would Apple jump from the A5 processor (powering the current crop of iPad minis) to the A7? simple... Apple wants to quickly change its mobile ecosystem to a 64-bit environment and is willing to bite the bullet and add it to almost everything it can. 

My biggest gripe with the iPad mini is the lack of retina display and simply adding this would entice most users to invest in the newer device but we aren't hearing any rumors of a 7.9" retina display being manufactured by any of the usual suspects. It is possible Apple has locked down the information and will shock everyone with a retina display but that looks like a very faint possibility way out in the future.

However if they manage to pack an A7, TouchID, slightly better battery performance, multi-band LTE and a retina display, I'll pre-order a device now.

Apple doesn't pre-announce launch events to early but most of us expect the announcement sometime around mid October.  

Right now, I wouldn't buy a Macbook Pro, iPad or iPad mini. Wait until mid-October to see what uncle Tim brings right before the holiday shopping period.

iPhone 5s will include an A7 processor

technologyEdward Kiledjian

Everyone's favorite analyst, KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, predicts the new iPhone 5s will include an A7 System on a Chip (aka processor). 

Nothing too surprising here, since every new iPhone has always included a faster and better processor. Ming-Chi Kuo believes the A7 will be based on the new ARMv8 architecture which should mean better performance with lower power consumption and a smaller size. Kuo believes the new processor should run 20% faster than the existing A6.

The new iPhone is expected to contain the same 1GB of RAM but the faster LPDDR3 (instead of LPDDR2 in the A6). Kuo is not sure whether the A7 will be 32 or 64 bit.

All will be revealed in 22 days (September 10 2013).

 

iPhone 5s may sport an A7 processor

technologyEdward Kiledjian
As soon as Apple finished announcing IOS 7 at WWDC, rumors started swirling about the iPhone 5s. We all expect Apple to announce the next iPhone sometime near the end of September. Based on past history, everyone expects the iPhone 5s to be a small incremental upgrade (compared to the iPhone 5) with a faster processor, better GPU and a slightly improved camera.
We have seen a slow trickle of rumored part photo leaks and so far we have seen a bigger battery and a dual-color LED. Now a new leak claims the iPhone 5s will come with a brand new Apple A7 processor built by Samsung competitor TSMC.

 

The iPhone 5s is on the left.

Apple's A7 will not be built by Samsung

technologyEdward Kiledjian

Apple and Samsung have a strange relationship where they constantly fight regarding patents but Apple uses Samsung for many of its components. Digitimes is now reporting that Apple will switch production of its next generation A7 processor to TSMC. The rumor has it that TSMC will start producing the new 20nm processor in May and it will find its way into products in 2014.