Intel says iPhone not capable of 'full Internet'
Intel Corp. this week used a developer forum in Taipei to tout its upcoming Moorestown platform for next-generation mobile Internet devices (MIDs) while slamming Apple's iPhone as a device bogged down by its use of ARM processors.
Following his keynote presentation at the conference, Intel vice president of mobility Shane Wall teamed with colleague Pankaj Kedia, the chipmaker's ultra-mobility ecosystems director, in lambasting the iPhone as a device dependent on technology that's a full two to three years behind that which Intel can offer.
"If you want to run full internet, you're going to have to run an Intel-based architecture," Wall told the gathering of engineers. He said the "iPhone struggles" when tasked with running "any sort of application that requires any horse power."
"The shortcomings of the iPhone are not because of Apple," added Kedia. "The shortcomings of the iPhone have come from ARM."
He said other handset vendors, not just Apple, face the same problem in that their smartphones are "not very smart" because "they use ARM." Wall argued that the iPhone has fallen short in a number of areas, despite its great user interface and supporting marketing blitz orchestrated by chief executive Steve Jobs.
As such, neither executive believes the iPhone will achieve "fast, full internet" any time in the near future if it continues to rely on ARM-based processors.
"Even if they do have full capability, the performance will be so poor," Wall said. To that, Kedia added: "I know what their roadmap is, I know where they're going and I'm not worried."
Apple's recent acquisition of fabless chip designer P.A. Semi appears to have all but cemented the future of the iPhone and iPod in ARM technologies. The electronics maker was recently fingered as the 'long term architecture licensee' of ARM's current and future technology for use in mobile computing.
Steve Jobs said earlier this year that buyout of P.A. Semi would drive the future of his company's handheld products, and it was later revealed PA Semi's senior principle architect is busy at Apple managing a team developing a custom ARM chip that will power a new generation of iPhones.
Apple is also believed to be the mysterious licensee of Imagination Technologie's current and future PowerVR graphics technologies, which are likely to be tied into its future ARM-based iPhone system-on-a-chip (SoC) designs.
Following his keynote presentation at the conference, Intel vice president of mobility Shane Wall teamed with colleague Pankaj Kedia, the chipmaker's ultra-mobility ecosystems director, in lambasting the iPhone as a device dependent on technology that's a full two to three years behind that which Intel can offer.
"If you want to run full internet, you're going to have to run an Intel-based architecture," Wall told the gathering of engineers. He said the "iPhone struggles" when tasked with running "any sort of application that requires any horse power."
"The shortcomings of the iPhone are not because of Apple," added Kedia. "The shortcomings of the iPhone have come from ARM."
He said other handset vendors, not just Apple, face the same problem in that their smartphones are "not very smart" because "they use ARM." Wall argued that the iPhone has fallen short in a number of areas, despite its great user interface and supporting marketing blitz orchestrated by chief executive Steve Jobs.
As such, neither executive believes the iPhone will achieve "fast, full internet" any time in the near future if it continues to rely on ARM-based processors.
"Even if they do have full capability, the performance will be so poor," Wall said. To that, Kedia added: "I know what their roadmap is, I know where they're going and I'm not worried."
Apple's recent acquisition of fabless chip designer P.A. Semi appears to have all but cemented the future of the iPhone and iPod in ARM technologies. The electronics maker was recently fingered as the 'long term architecture licensee' of ARM's current and future technology for use in mobile computing.
Steve Jobs said earlier this year that buyout of P.A. Semi would drive the future of his company's handheld products, and it was later revealed PA Semi's senior principle architect is busy at Apple managing a team developing a custom ARM chip that will power a new generation of iPhones.
Apple is also believed to be the mysterious licensee of Imagination Technologie's current and future PowerVR graphics technologies, which are likely to be tied into its future ARM-based iPhone system-on-a-chip (SoC) designs.
Comments
The lovers are quarreling.
Take that Apple for not buying a processor doesn't even exist! (intel)
And they can adopt the Imagination SGX to replace the MBX. Perfect for OpenCL.
They are licensees for both.
Perhaps in the 2010 iPhone?
Considering only 4.13% of the internet is up to standard... what does "full internet" mean these days?
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...compliant.html
Intel Corp. this week used a developer forum in Taipei to tout its upcoming Moorestown platform for next-generation mobile Internet devices (MIDs) while slamming Apple's iPhone as a device bogged down by its use of ARM processors.
The demo of their unit showed nothing that the iPhone is not already delivering. Intel's Moorestown platform is now irrelevant and they are trying to claim it is relevant.
I'm sure Apple will continue to advance the processor in the iPhone (Cortex A8 perhaps), keep the developers happy to write apps for an increasingly better performing platform, and grow the market. Apple is very good at finding a niche they can win in and then expanding from there. Intel is still working on the mentality that they can morph their current stuff into something someone wants, even if there is no niche for all the intermediate steps.
For example, I'm writing this post from my MacBook Pro because I started writing it on my iPhone and it promptly crashed my Safari Mobile.
I'm not kidding when I say that this happens at least once a day. Oh, and I restored the phone about three weeks ago...
Anyway, Intel does have some sour grapes, but Apple also needs to address some issues with its Mobile Safari implementation.
I love my iPhone, but the lack of flash is a real issue for me.
Intel is on the money with the comment, but not so much because of ARM, more due to management decisions.
Sheldon
The iPhone has NEVER been capable of the "Full Internet" Huge swaths of the internet are flash based, and are completely inaccessible to the iPhone. To add insult to injury, Apple prevents other flash enabled browsers from being developed for that platform.
I love my iPhone, but the lack of flash is a real issue for me.
Intel is on the money with the comment, but not so much because of ARM, more due to management decisions.
Definitely not at all about ARM, because Intel doesn't have anything that is equivalent.
It's Apple's prerogative to not allow other browsers on iPhone, but it seems petty to me.
I'd like to know exactly what sites are too big and complex for the iPhone to use.
The iPhone has NEVER been capable of the "Full Internet" Huge swaths of the internet are flash based, and are completely inaccessible to the iPhone. To add insult to injury, Apple prevents other flash enabled browsers from being developed for that platform.
I love my iPhone, but the lack of flash is a real issue for me.
Not having Flash is not a disadvantage -- it's wisdom. Flash is a clusterf@#k and web designers who rely on it heavily risk losing customers. I hate Flash!
What does it mean? That Apple will use Intel for the iPhone and iPod touch? I HOPE SO BECAUSE THAT WILL ALLOW THE FULL MAC OS X EXPERIENCE ON YOUR HAND ON A TRULY POCKETABLE DEVICE!