So can people actually buy this model A1469 Apple TV? I see the model number on the Apple site hasn't changed, there are no change references for A5X or other changes in the tech specs. Is this still a future shipping product?
We know nothing about it beyond this post. If it's not for sale now, there's no reason to expect it being so.
So can people actually buy this model A1469 Apple TV? I see the model number on the Apple site hasn't changed, there are no change references for A5X or other changes in the tech specs. Is this still a future shipping product?
It likely is. If you want to guarantee having it though, you obviously have to wait until its confirmed to be in all shipping devices. It sounds like a silent update. I don't think Apple's doing it for any special reason pertaining to the Apple TV product features.
Like last year with the die shrunk A5, Apple is using a low end product as a "pilot" production or test bed for producing die shrunk processors to eventually be in flagship products. Last year, it was an A5r2 on Samsung's 32 nm node, used in Apple TV and iPad 2 devices. If this A5Xr2 is on TSMC's 28 nm node, that likely means the processors in 2013 iPhones and iPads will be on TSMC's 28 nm node.
So can people actually buy this model A1469 Apple TV? I see the model number on the Apple site hasn't changed, there are no change references for A5X or other changes in the tech specs. Is this still a future shipping product?
Well - i just received a new ATV from Amazon yesterday and it had the new model number - so it is out and shipping. I can't tell anything different about it.
Macrumors.com is saying the background refresh of the AppleTV contains a die shrunk A5, not a A5X. So, original A5 was a 45 nm, 123 mm^2 SoC. The A5r2 in the 2012 Apple TV, iPad 2,4, and iPod touch 5th gen is a 32 nm, 71 mm^2 SoC. This further die shrunk chip is 36 mm^2.
So what node is it at?
It does not appear to be a 28 nm node chip unless Apple did an amazing job with a re-layout of the SoC, like removing a CPU core, GPU core, and or maybe a memory channel. 1-36/71 = 49% die shrink. That's basically a full node. If the A5r2 at 71 mm^2 was a 32 nm chip, this means that this new 36 mm^2 A5 was fabbed at 22 nm, and it was basically a perfect die shrink.
Who has a 22 nm fab? There is only one company.
Still, hard pressed to believe that Apple would get a deal from Intel, so maybe it is something else or Macrumors is measuring wrong.
Macrumors.com is saying the background refresh of the AppleTV contains a die shrunk A5, not a A5X. So, original A5 was a 45 nm, 123 mm^2 SoC. The A5r2 in the 2012 Apple TV, iPad 2,4, and iPod touch 5th gen is a 32 nm, 71 mm^2 SoC. This further die shrunk chip is 36 mm^2.
So what node is it at?
It does not appear to be a 28 nm node chip unless Apple did an amazing job with a re-layout of the SoC, like removing a CPU core, GPU core, and or maybe a memory channel. 1-36/71 = 49% die shrink. That's basically a full node. If the A5r2 at 71 mm^2 was a 32 nm chip, this means that this new 36 mm^2 A5 was fabbed at 22 nm, and it was basically a perfect die shrink.
Who has a 22 nm fab? There is only one company.
Still, hard pressed to believe that Apple would get a deal from Intel, so maybe it is something else or Macrumors is measuring wrong.
1) It might be a way of introducing Intel's fab with Apple's ASIC but that seems a little suspect but so is the huge from from 8.x to 6mm for a 32 to 28nm drop. I suspect AnandTech will give us a more detailed analysis by tomorrow.
2) So no smaller Apple TV casing as the FCC filing showed. That always seemed odd to me unless there are some major changes coming with this "hobby" category.
Chipworks took apart an Apple TV they bought and they have come to the conclusion that this new A5 is a 32 nm Samsung part.
So, either Apple removed half the chip (1 CPU core, 1 GPU core, 1 memory channel, maybe ISP as well), or they had a whole lot of un-used floor plan space in the prior A5 layout, and have re-laid out the SoC to reduce it's size by half on the same node. On to the x-rays.
I wonder where they are taking this chip? A $300 to $400 iPhone? A $200 iPod touch? An iOS powered iPod nano? A $250 iPad mini? An iOS powered wristband computer? A Lightning-to-4k video adaptor?
Roughly, it's going to cost half as much as the current A5 in the 2012 iPod touch, iPad mini, and iPad devices. Probably costs $5 in bulk.
Comments
Originally Posted by gtj333
So can people actually buy this model A1469 Apple TV? I see the model number on the Apple site hasn't changed, there are no change references for A5X or other changes in the tech specs. Is this still a future shipping product?
We know nothing about it beyond this post. If it's not for sale now, there's no reason to expect it being so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gtj333
So can people actually buy this model A1469 Apple TV? I see the model number on the Apple site hasn't changed, there are no change references for A5X or other changes in the tech specs. Is this still a future shipping product?
It likely is. If you want to guarantee having it though, you obviously have to wait until its confirmed to be in all shipping devices. It sounds like a silent update. I don't think Apple's doing it for any special reason pertaining to the Apple TV product features.
Like last year with the die shrunk A5, Apple is using a low end product as a "pilot" production or test bed for producing die shrunk processors to eventually be in flagship products. Last year, it was an A5r2 on Samsung's 32 nm node, used in Apple TV and iPad 2 devices. If this A5Xr2 is on TSMC's 28 nm node, that likely means the processors in 2013 iPhones and iPads will be on TSMC's 28 nm node.
I was totally wrong just now.
MacTracker just updated and says this new model of Apple TV (A1469) has an A5X chip in it.
Not that it would use or need it, but that's the model being sold now; A5X. According to them, at least.
Macrumors.com is saying the background refresh of the AppleTV contains a die shrunk A5, not a A5X. So, original A5 was a 45 nm, 123 mm^2 SoC. The A5r2 in the 2012 Apple TV, iPad 2,4, and iPod touch 5th gen is a 32 nm, 71 mm^2 SoC. This further die shrunk chip is 36 mm^2.
So what node is it at?
It does not appear to be a 28 nm node chip unless Apple did an amazing job with a re-layout of the SoC, like removing a CPU core, GPU core, and or maybe a memory channel. 1-36/71 = 49% die shrink. That's basically a full node. If the A5r2 at 71 mm^2 was a 32 nm chip, this means that this new 36 mm^2 A5 was fabbed at 22 nm, and it was basically a perfect die shrink.
Who has a 22 nm fab? There is only one company.
Still, hard pressed to believe that Apple would get a deal from Intel, so maybe it is something else or Macrumors is measuring wrong.
1) It might be a way of introducing Intel's fab with Apple's ASIC but that seems a little suspect but so is the huge from from 8.x to 6mm for a 32 to 28nm drop. I suspect AnandTech will give us a more detailed analysis by tomorrow.
2) So no smaller Apple TV casing as the FCC filing showed. That always seemed odd to me unless there are some major changes coming with this "hobby" category.
Chipworks took apart an Apple TV they bought and they have come to the conclusion that this new A5 is a 32 nm Samsung part.
So, either Apple removed half the chip (1 CPU core, 1 GPU core, 1 memory channel, maybe ISP as well), or they had a whole lot of un-used floor plan space in the prior A5 layout, and have re-laid out the SoC to reduce it's size by half on the same node. On to the x-rays.
I wonder where they are taking this chip? A $300 to $400 iPhone? A $200 iPod touch? An iOS powered iPod nano? A $250 iPad mini? An iOS powered wristband computer? A Lightning-to-4k video adaptor?
Roughly, it's going to cost half as much as the current A5 in the 2012 iPod touch, iPad mini, and iPad devices. Probably costs $5 in bulk.