How Fast is the iPhone 5′s Apple A6 Processor?

Been wondering how fast the smartphone standard-setting Apple A6 processor is? Already, we knew the A6 is two times faster than the A5, 22 percent smaller, and has twice the GPU power, and also that it also helps with noise reduction, faster camera capture and better low light performance. Now, AnandTech has more details regarding the processor that’s powering the 4-Inch iPhone.

According to the website:

Quick analysis of the A6 SoC photos from the iPhone 5 launch event tells us all we need to know about the memory interface, speed and bandwidth of the new platform. As always, the A6 features a PoP stack combining the SoC itself and its DRAM. The package-stacked DRAM helps save space, which comes at a premium inside a device as small as a smartphone. PoP stacks are quite common in all modern smartphones.

Through crafty navigation of Samsung’s product guide, Brian Klug got us the details. The K3P tells us we’re looking at a dual-channel LPDDR2 package with 32-bit channels. The E7E7 gives us the density of each of the two DRAM die (512MB per die, 1GB total). The final two characters in the part number give us the cycle time/data rate, which in this case is 1066MHz.

AnandTech put all the information together in the below chart, which shows “iDevice memory bandwidth vs. generation.”

It’s all in the chart …

The iPhone 5 packs around 33 percent more memory bandwidth than the iPhone 4S. Clearly, this will help with the under-the-hood performance optimizations and, of course, that taller, 4-Inch display.

Currently, the iPhone 5 is available to preorder from the Apple Online Store. Have you preordered yours yet?

[Via AnandTech]

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Thief drives straight through Apple Store window

Perhaps he thought the iPhone 5 would already be there.

Who can imagine why someone would risk the sensitive fenders of his BMW to drive straight through the front window of the Apple Store in Temecula, Calif.?

And yet here is footage of a smash, a grab, and a slight thoughtlessness, given that the robbers seemed not to have factored in the security cameras.

Footage that was release to YouTube shows action that seems as incontrovertible as it is rather tragic.

I am grateful to the BBC for grabbing this footage and smashing it into my eyes.

Some will be impressed that the thieves appeared to have chosen the smaller items, rather than the MacBooks.

However, I am sure many of the Apple faithful will be depressed at the sheer mess that these people made. Didn't they understand that you can steal from an Apple Store without having to ram your car backward and forward into the pristine tables? Isn't that what Samsung was accused of?

Look at that poor severed table leg. It's not as if it could have moved out of the way. Didn't they know how many design hours went into creating that beautiful thing?

Still, this story has a peculiar ending.

The security gates behind the car appear to have come down and hampered the thieves' exit. The car's tires allegedly suffered, as did the license plate.

Police now accuse 22-year-old Equonne Howard, after he had allegedly abandoned the car and then returned either to fix the flats or to retrieve a license plate he allegedly left behind.

He pleaded not guilty last Wednesday, the very same day the iPhone 5 was revealed.

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Samsung Takes Jab at iPhone 5 With Fiesty Ad

Samsung may have lost the patent battle against Apple, but that doesn’t the Korean electronics giant has quieted down.

In a new ad shown to Mashable that will start running in various national and regional papers on Sunday, Samsung has stacked the specs of its Galaxy S III smartphone against the newly-announced iPhone 5.

What’s first noticeable about the ad is its tagline, which is an obvious jab at Apple: “It doesn’t take a genius.” Not only does this reference Apple’s “genius” retail employees, Samsung also implies that deciding between the two devices is a piece of cake.

The Galaxy S III’s list of features is much longer than the iPhone 5, and its specs beat Apple’s latest smartphone in terms of HD resolution, talk time and RAM. It also features near-field communications (NFC) technology — not included in the iPhone 5 — which allows users to pay at checkout with a mobile phone.

The ad also pokes fun at the iPhone 5′s specs wording, dismissing Apple’s new Lightning dock as a “a totally different plug.”

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Rumor Roundup: iPhone 5: Samsung Sues Apple For It!

Jon R. is back to tackle the biggest tech rumors of this week! It looks like the Apple vs. Samsung legal dispute is all but over. Samsung has retaliated by suing Apple for their recently released iPhone 5 – apparently Apple’s infringed on some of Samsung’s lovely patents. All this and much much more in this episode of Rumor Round Up!



via TechnoBuffalo

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Microsoft Gives Employees Free Surface Tablet, Windows Phone 8 Device & Windows 8 PC

It’s a good time to be a Microsoft employee. At its annual company meeting yesterday, the software giant announced that all full-time employees — of which there are over 90,000 — will soon receive a Surface RT tablet, a Windows Phone 8 smartphone, and a Windows 8 work machine absolutely free.

According to The Verge, the Windows 8 machines have already started being distributed to some employees, while Surface and Windows Phone 8 devices will follow in the “coming weeks.”

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has handed its employees free products, of course. Back in 2010, when Windows Phone 7 made its debut, all employees were given a new smartphone powered by the company’s brand new platform.

Not only is this a great morale boost, but it allows Microsoft employees to become accustomed to the company’s latest devices. For retail staff in particular, this has huge benefits, because it means those selling the devices know them inside out, and that they’re better prepared for dealing with your technical issues.

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Apple Store down ahead of iPhone 5 preorders

The Apple Store is currently down, as iPhone 5-hungry consumers get ready to place preorders for the next-generation smartphone.

As is tradition before major Apple releases, visitors to the online store looking to purchase phones, MP3 players, or Macs are instead greeted with a message saying, "We'll be back." The downtime allows Apple to retool the site for the new product -- in this case, the much-anticipated iPhone 5.

The new phone, which was unveiled yesterday at an event in San Francisco, will feature a 4-inch Retina display and support for 4G LTE service. The iPhone 5 is expected to hit consumers' hands on September 21.

In addition to Apple's online store, the iPhone 5 is also available for preorder starting tomorrow morning at Wal-Mart, which is selling the long-awaited phone for $189.97, as opposed to the $199 price tag offered by Apple.

The company also revealed is prices for unlocked iPhones -- devices unencumbered by carrier contracts -- although those offers are not expected to be available to consumers for a few weeks.

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Upgrade to iOS 6 Right Now

Although iOS 6 won't see an official release until September 19th, you can install the final version right now even if you're not a developer thanks to some anonymous public postings of the software update files. Here's how.
Note: We updated a handful of iDevices using these files and encountered no issues, but because we're unable to verify them all we don't know problems won't arise. This process worked for us when we tested with an iPad, and iPod touch, and an iPhone, but there's always a chance you could run into an issue. Please be aware that there's some risk involved before you upgrade.

Backup First!

Before you do anything, back up your iDevice with iTunes. In the past, the early upgrade process worked for some but not for everyone. The results may be the same this time around, though we've upgraded to the final version of iOS 6 without issue. Regardless of whether or not things work out you will need to restore your device so back it up!

Download iOS 6

Thanks to a public posting on RapidShare, you can download the Golden Master version (essentially identical to the final release coming next week) of iOS 6 for your device without logging into the Apple Developer Center. Here are the download links. Choose the type of device you want to update:

• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 4 (GSM)
• iPhone 4 (CDMA)
• iPhone 3GS
• iPad (3rd Generation) with Wi-Fi
• iPad (3rd Generation) with Wi-Fi and Cellular (AT&T)
• iPad (3rd Generation) with Wi-Fi and Cellular (Verizon)
• iPad 2 with Wi-Fi Only
• iPad 2 with Wi-Fi (Rev. A)
• iPad 2 with Wi-Fi and 3G (GSM)iPad 2 with Wi-Fi and 3G (CDMA)
• iPod touch (4th Generation)

The iOS 6 update may require a later version of iTunes than you have installed. Update your copy before moving on.

Install the Update

To install iOS 6 on your device, follow these instructions:

1. Open up the disk image (.dmg) and find the iPhone Software Update file (.ipsw) for your device. Drag it to the desktop, or a folder of your choosing. (Windows users will need a tool like 7-Zip to do this, and will need to open the .hfs inside the .dmg as well.)
2. Open iTunes and connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, to your computer.
3. If your device isn't automatically selected in iTunes, select it and go to the "Summary" tab.
4. Hold down the option key (OS X) or the shift key (Windows) and click the Restore button. Browse to the .ipsw file you downloaded, select it, and wait for the update to finish.
5. If necessary, restore your device from backup and sync with iTunes.

That's it. If you follow those steps, you'll be up and running iOS 6 in no time.

via Lifehacker

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