Wow, we didn't see this coming at all. Apple buys PA Semi, a fabless chip company that specializes in high performance, low power PowerPC based processors for $278 million in cash. The founder of P.A.Semi, Dan Dobberpuhl, has a history of designing StrongARM chips - the kind currently in use in the iPod Touch and iPhone - from his former work at DEC.
Let's get this straight. This isn't a company that makes graphics chips or coprocessors or anything else. They make CPUs and they are based on the Power architecture that they license from IBM. This means that Apple's long term strategy includes the PowerPC platform? In their handhelds - iPods and iPhones? Will we see a 2Ghz PowerPC iPhone in the future?
How about desktops? Gaming systems?
And what about the Intel Atom? Lots of questions we'll hopefully get answers to later today.
Or maybe Apple just bought PA Semi for their talent and expects the new company to help integrate chips into Apple products.
Still. Wow.
More 9to5mac coverage here and here
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Technorati
Comments
please....
it's not a power pc license, which they base all their products on. although they've used a derivative of the PPC processor in the past, they also use strongARM quite intensively lately. strongARM, a cousin to the ARM used in current iPhones, is acutally lower energy, higher performance than the ARM samsung chip currently employed. THIS is the interesting part of the acquisition. and yes, strongARM is RISC based, but has not much to do with PPC otherwise....
While they do have a history
While they do have a history in ARM technology, anything they've done in the past 3 years is PowerPC based. Check their website or any of the news out of them over the past 3 years. All Power Architecture stuff.
Now, they have probably been through the ARM->PowerPC transition and know it better than anyone else in the business ....
battery life
looks like they bought some experts on power efficient use of processors: looking for longer battery life for iPhones, iPods and other handheld devices.
"a fabless chip company that
"a fabless chip company that specializes in high power, low cost PowerPC based processors"
PA Semi have actually made their name in providing _low_ power chips.
Simple Really....
Apple bought it so no one else could.
chinese chicken
i love chinese chicken!!
Would this mean...
similar results when Apple switched from Power PC to Intel and the OS software updates waned with time? I would hate to purchase an iPhone (yes, I still don't have one) only to have it become obsolete regarding ability to update OS/Firmware. I'm using my SonyEricson phone (T-Mobile) with the original battery going on ten years. I know, the phone is antiquated but hey, it works fine. Even if I have to replace the battery mid way through with an iPhone, I would still like to get similar results from my purchase regarding adding new "buttons" as Steve would say when updating to a newer Firmware or when purchasing apps from the App Store and not have any conflict there. Or does processor and Firmware have nothing in common. Any thoughts or comments out there to ease my concerns? Also, with this new acquisition of PA Semi, can Apple create a more iPhone "uniqueness" regarding functionality with inhouse processors, then the third party processors it now utilizes, which will allow Apple to abate all these touchscreen iPhone wannabes now being introduced from other phone manufacturers?
SonyEricsson have only been
SonyEricsson have only been going since 2001, so you haven't had that phone for 10 years.
Alright, 6 years and counting...
... but it feels like 10 and it's still an old phone!
you hit the hammer on the head
in your other post about the company.
They have 150 really smart engineers. Introducing 150 new iPhone development engineers. That probably more than doubles the engineering work force on the iPhone and all at high quality and familiar with power efficient smartphone CPU chips. Plus they can leverage any IP they may have and choose either to design a custom chip for the iPhone or make everything else in the chipset more efficient.
For a small amount of money compared to what Apple has in the bank, I think this is a great purchase on the engineers alone.
What I am wondering with
What I am wondering with this talk of which chip apple plans to upgrade the iPhone to is how Apple plans to future proof iPhone applications. Will they do a similar thing with making universal apps that can run on ARM/PPC/ATOM?
Perhaps buying this company will allow them to expand the abilities of ARM processors so that they dont have to provide for x86 compatability. However, isnt the whole reason Apple went to intel is that intel could provide mass, low priced chips with a fast moving roadmap? Could apple achieve similar results with PA?
iConsole
Gaming systems? iConsole Maybe?? Just a thought... Oh how bout a iPhone that runs on water? run over and check out phonescoop.com (not to take away from this kick @$$ site) but samsung is working on a phone that will run on water. Chew on that for a bit....
"Oh crap my battery is almost dead, I need to find a bathroom or fountain to fill my battery up."
So much for car chargers...
here is the direct link to samsung
http://www.sem.samsung.com/cms/_work/en/company/news/newsView.jsp?seq=641
strong arm hmmmm good choice
Maybe Apple finally saw the light after Motorola couldn't deliver their powerpc CPU's way back when.
That could have been a marketing ploy by Apple to keep the prices high but we all know that Apple doesn't market their products like that.
BTW the color of the sky in my world is azure.
Post new comment