MIPS do have a 64-bit variant, which ARM doesn't currently have, although almost certainly is hard at work on for the next generation of ARM cores. With mobile phones coming with 512MB of memory this year, it's only a few years until they start hitting the 32-bit limit!
Aside from that, there's nothing much more to read into this apart from a company working with another company for mutual benefit.
+1
MIPS would have to announce something truly groundbreaking to get Apple's undivided attention. Apple already has all the access they need to the PowerVR stuff.
Not sure if Apple would purposefully solicit that many graphic chip vendors for their mobile devices, but they really should turn their focus on one or two partners to avoid different tech in their various products.
apple always use multiple partners to make 1 product/ chip they usually take the the best design and ditch the others
If it's just the chipset were taking about, then there's nothing you should worry about. Look how Apple transitioned from ppc to x86 architectures. With their new LLVM compiler strategy, code can simply work on any hardware devices. With the upcoming IPhone OS 4 supporting LLVM, future applications can work optimally in future devices.
False. It is not as simple as that. Although that is the intention, we are not there yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
Imagination sells their cores to lots of companies including Intel. Nothing about this announcement says anything at all about Apple using MIPS cores in future devices. Frankly I'm not to sure MIPS will ever be able to catch up with ARM technology as it is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hmurchison
+1
MIPS would have to announce something truly groundbreaking to get Apple's undivided attention. Apple already has all the access they need to the PowerVR stuff.
Again, all these rumors doesn't make any sense.
MIPS is an IP company, therefore nothing ground breaking will go unannounced a year or two before hand.
MIPS was never designed to be ultra low power ( Compare to ARM ). While it certainly fits Set Top Box or other Appliance, it doesn't scale down to SmartPhone PDA level.
Compare to ARM which is working its way upward.
MIPS hasn't had any improvement to its core for a some time. Compare to ARM which just released their Cortex.
Isn't anyone else very curious as to what the p.a. semi folk have been up to? Because there are no known facts of any involvement with current products...
PA Semi no longer exists within Apple. The staff that haven't left have already been integrated into positions on Apple's iPod/iPhone teams. For example, Wei-Han Lien from PA Semi is just the Senior Manager, ARM CPU Architecture, which of course is working on iPhone/iPad.
Jobs said PA Semi was acquired to work on future iPods/iPhones (and obviously now, iPads, but that was still a secret back then). Do you have any evidence they are not?
This may lead to fragmentation of iPhones if this goes where I think it may go.
Where do you think it may go?
I don't see this story having any impact on Apple.
And I don't see how Imagination working to make their PowerVR tech integrate better with MIPS tech leads to any fragmentation of iPhones. In fact, it would make it easier for Apple to switch to MIPS if Apple ever was to decide to do that.
Comments
MIPS do have a 64-bit variant, which ARM doesn't currently have, although almost certainly is hard at work on for the next generation of ARM cores. With mobile phones coming with 512MB of memory this year, it's only a few years until they start hitting the 32-bit limit!
Aside from that, there's nothing much more to read into this apart from a company working with another company for mutual benefit.
+1
MIPS would have to announce something truly groundbreaking to get Apple's undivided attention. Apple already has all the access they need to the PowerVR stuff.
This may lead to fragmentation of iPhones if this goes where I think it may go.
with OpenCL on iPhone, I think it'll be less of a problem.
We're just a hop, skip and a jump away from having full-blown iPhone tricorders (a la Star Trek)!
"Set phasers to stun"
"Set phasers to stun"
Set iPhones to stunning!
bottom line
will this allow apple toaquire arm?
Make it's own chips?
Combine talents
I have yet to understand the purpose of pasemi purchase
is the talent helping produce new chips
does apple need chip IP or chip manufacturing or both
how does this add apple value
I'm sure SJ is thinking 1 3 5 10 years from now
is there a better architecture for mobile OS
Not sure if Apple would purposefully solicit that many graphic chip vendors for their mobile devices, but they really should turn their focus on one or two partners to avoid different tech in their various products.
apple always use multiple partners to make 1 product/ chip they usually take the the best design and ditch the others
If it's just the chipset were taking about, then there's nothing you should worry about. Look how Apple transitioned from ppc to x86 architectures. With their new LLVM compiler strategy, code can simply work on any hardware devices. With the upcoming IPhone OS 4 supporting LLVM, future applications can work optimally in future devices.
False. It is not as simple as that. Although that is the intention, we are not there yet.
Imagination sells their cores to lots of companies including Intel. Nothing about this announcement says anything at all about Apple using MIPS cores in future devices. Frankly I'm not to sure MIPS will ever be able to catch up with ARM technology as it is.
+1
MIPS would have to announce something truly groundbreaking to get Apple's undivided attention. Apple already has all the access they need to the PowerVR stuff.
Again, all these rumors doesn't make any sense.
MIPS is an IP company, therefore nothing ground breaking will go unannounced a year or two before hand.
MIPS was never designed to be ultra low power ( Compare to ARM ). While it certainly fits Set Top Box or other Appliance, it doesn't scale down to SmartPhone PDA level.
Compare to ARM which is working its way upward.
MIPS hasn't had any improvement to its core for a some time. Compare to ARM which just released their Cortex.
So MIPS is pretty much dead.
Isn't anyone else very curious as to what the p.a. semi folk have been up to? Because there are no known facts of any involvement with current products...
PA Semi no longer exists within Apple. The staff that haven't left have already been integrated into positions on Apple's iPod/iPhone teams. For example, Wei-Han Lien from PA Semi is just the Senior Manager, ARM CPU Architecture, which of course is working on iPhone/iPad.
Jobs said PA Semi was acquired to work on future iPods/iPhones (and obviously now, iPads, but that was still a secret back then). Do you have any evidence they are not?
This may lead to fragmentation of iPhones if this goes where I think it may go.
Where do you think it may go?
I don't see this story having any impact on Apple.
And I don't see how Imagination working to make their PowerVR tech integrate better with MIPS tech leads to any fragmentation of iPhones. In fact, it would make it easier for Apple to switch to MIPS if Apple ever was to decide to do that.