New Intel processor a good fit for AppleTV?

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boukmanboukman
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Am I the only one to wonder if Apple could use the new Intel CE 2110 processor to power its next generation AppleTV? It seems such a good fit : low power Xscale ARM processor with integrated GPU, hardware H.264 decoding, etc. Apple needs many chips right now to perform the function of this single processor. Could it mean a new, sub-200$ AppleTV? We know that OS X is already running on some sort of ARM processor (iPhone), so it's just a matter of recompiling the right software and there you go!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,464member
    Yeah actually I do think that Apple TV 2 will move to more of a SoC (System on Chip) setup. Intel is likely using a core similar to the X3000 or should I say "hopefully". The Apple TV gets pretty warm..I'm sure anything more power efficient is going to help in the long term for the platform.



    I could see Apple delivering a second generation unit in 18 months or so with a more compact architecture running a subset of Leopard and offering higher bandwidth support.



    I'd love to see 1920x1080 support at at least 8mbps supported. AAC multichannel support (would be natural for playing back surround sound files from Soundtrack Pro and Logic Pro.
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  • Reply 2 of 6
    whoamiwhoami Posts: 301member
    what the hell is macnn thinking??



    Is Apple TV using Intel?s new CE 2110 Media Processor?



    http://www.macnn.com/blogs/?p=284
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  • Reply 3 of 6
    Marvinmarvin Posts: 15,585moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by whoami View Post


    what the hell is macnn thinking??



    Is Apple TV using Intel?s new CE 2110 Media Processor?



    http://www.macnn.com/blogs/?p=284



    People who have managed to get OS X to run on it show that the system reports Pentium-M processors and Nvidia GPUs.
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  • Reply 4 of 6
    whoamiwhoami Posts: 301member
    that's exactly the point...



    why speculate something that is proven to be false?
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  • Reply 5 of 6
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,954member
    It's possible that Apple can use the Arm port from the iPhone work, but I think it is unlikely that Apple would switch architectures.
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  • Reply 6 of 6
    fishafisha Posts: 126member
    I agree Jeff. Its doable, but would it be worth the hassle ?



    Its already clear that getting iPhone out the door is a large task at the moment for Apple given that its being cited as a principle reason for the Leopard delay. It would take another decently sized port for it to change to another architecture for Apple TV.



    Why bother when Apple TV is already running on a very similar platform to its existing OS platform . . . the porting work to create Apple TV is greatly reduced, and arguably more scalable in its current form to handle better graphic ability and power further down the line.
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