Skip to main content

Apple’s chief chipmaker reveals how the iPad Pro was late & almost out-powered by the iPhone 6s

johny-srouji-2000x1200

Bloomberg profile of Apple’s ‘chief chipmaker’ – SVP of hardware technologies Johny Srouji – talks about how the iPad Pro was launched behind schedule, and almost ended up being less powerful than the iPhone 6s.

The original plan was to introduce the iPad Pro with Apple’s tablet chip, the A8X, the same processor that powered the iPad Air 2, introduced in 2014. But delaying until fall meant that the Pro would make its debut alongside the iPhone 6s, which was going to use a newer, faster phone chip called the A9 […]

The iPad Pro would look feeble next to the iPhone 6s. So Srouji put his engineers on a crash program to move up the rollout of a new tablet processor, the A9X, by half a year.

While the piece predictably doesn’t reveal much we didn’t already know, it does contain one surprising fun fact about the original iPhone …

Srouji said that because the original iPhone had to piece together existing components from a range of suppliers, it couldn’t be as powerful as the company had hoped, with a low-powered processor, no front camera, connectivity limited to 2G and poor battery life. One of those components?

Elements from a Samsung chip used in DVD players.

It was disappointment in what could be achieved using existing components, said Srouji, that led Steve Jobs to conclude that Apple needed to design its own chips.

Steve came to the conclusion that the only way for Apple to really differentiate and deliver something truly unique and truly great, you have to own your own silicon. You have to control and own it.

The whole piece makes for an interesting background read.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. Greg (@supersetgreg) - 8 years ago

    “Elements from a Samsung chip used in DVD players.”

    This has been known for a while.

  2. 89p13 - 8 years ago

    Great read, Ben, Thank you!

  3. taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

    I find them testing chips for the Mac Mini interesting. Mac Mini or MacBook would make for a good testing ground for an ARM powered Mac and ARM enabled OS X.

  4. spiffers - 8 years ago

    Most interesting is the hero picture for tvis article. Looks like they have some custom blades in the racks, using magsafe adapters to power them. got a clue what they are, anyone?

    • PMZanetti - 8 years ago

      I was gonna ask the same thing. Looks cool. Don’t they worry about dust?

      • spiffers - 8 years ago

        Dust is not an issue when havinh a slight over-pressure in the server room and good air filtering. After reading the source article, I conclude this is a test-bench with Mac Minis used for testing the processors for iPads/iPhones… The custom mod for using MagSafe connectors instead of the powerbrick is something Ill explore some more…

  5. Jake Becker - 8 years ago

    I love these, especially from lesser “known” execs or engineers, thanks for sharing.

  6. chrisl84 - 8 years ago

    Now admit the Apple TV was late….and you still didn’t put the new chips in.

  7. taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

    The secret unmarked buildings throughout the Valley is also very interesting.

  8. ag80911 - 8 years ago

    “Apple’s chief chipmaker reveals how the iPad Pro was late & almost out-powered by the iPhone 6s”

    And this is why Apple doesn’t comment on unannounced products – imagine if they have pre-announced and not delivered.

  9. pdixon1986 - 8 years ago

    So what i got from this was – the pro, that isnt really much of a pro device, was gonna be even less pro…

    That Apple were going to rush it to market with old components — they still did rush because they didnt work out how to implement force touch etc.

    It just proves that Apple are in fact cutting corners and rushing things.

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


Ben Lovejoy's favorite gear