Apple sneakily debuts 32nm A5 in new iPad 2, Apple TV

With an illusory flourish that only Apple could pull off — “Focus your attention on this shiny iPad 3!” — the magicians of Cupertino have quietly started shipping iOS devices with 32nm A5 SoCs. So far, the new $399 iPad 2 (iPad 2,4 in Apple nomenclature) and third-generation Apple TV have been confirmed to use the new chip, but it’s also possible that there’s a new generation of the iPhone 4S with a 32nm A5 at the helm.

The original A5 SoC (system-on-a-chip), found in the first iPad 2 and iPhone 4S, was built on Samsung’s 45nm process. The A5X SoC in the iPad 3, which has four GPU cores instead of two, is also 45nm. By moving to Samsung’s 32nm High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) process, the new A5 processor (S5L8942, pictured above) is 40% smaller than its predecessor (pictured below), uses around 30% less power, and is significantly cheaper for Samsung to produce — thus, no doubt, allowing Apple to retain its fat profit margins on the cut-price iPad 2.

As far as we can tell, this is the first mass-produced part to roll off Samsung’s 32nm HKMG process. Samsung has announced four of its own 32nm parts — the Exynos 4212, 4412, 5250, and 5450, with the 4212 was slated to power the Galaxy Nexus — but so far, nothing has emerged (the Galaxy Nexus was powered by TI’s OMAP4). It’s possible that the 32nm process wasn’t ready in time for the Exynos 4212, or it might just be a case of Apple having a huge amount of clout — it must be one of Samsung’s largest customers, after all.

With the low-level stuff out of the way, what does the 32nm A5 actually mean for users? Well, for a start, the new iPad 2 probably has significantly more battery life than the original iPad 2 — either that, or Apple has also combined the new SoC with smaller, cheaper batteries (definitely a possibility, to reach that $399 price point). Performance will be the same. Incidentally, if you recently bought an iPad 2 and it came with iOS 5.1 installed, you have the new 32nm part; if it came with iOS 5.0.1, you’re all out of luck.

More importantly, though, the 32nm A5 is a very strong indicator that the iPhone 5 — which should be released this year — will also have a 32nm SoC. As for whether this will be a 32nm A5X, or something entirely new (a quad-core A6?), we don’t know. It’s also likely that the iPad 3 will undergo a 32nm revision, too, reducing its power consumption and thus the need for the huge (and heavy) batteries that currently encumber it.

New 32nm A5 (APL2498/S5L8942) vs. old 45nm A5 (APL0498/S5L8940)

The shift to 32nm will further cement Apple’s dominance in the smartphone and tablet arena. In terms of power consumption — the most important metric when it comes to mobile — only devices powered by the 28nm Snapdragon S4 have a hope of competing. The 45nm Tegra 3 is growing longer in the tooth every day.

[Image credit: Chipworks]

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Windows 8 vs. Mountain Lion: Does Microsoft stand a chance?

The PC is dead.

Let me clarify: The personal computer, as imagined by IBM and powered by Microsoft DOS and Windows, is raggedly exhaling its final breaths. In its place is a great big shuddering heap of conflated, commingled, converging software and hardware led by Apple’s Mountain Lion and Microsoft’s Windows 8.

The shocking thing is just how quickly his convergence has occurred. Released in 2009, both Windows 7 and OS X 10.6 had almost zero cloud-, mobile-, or cross platform features; they were both very much “PC” operating systems. This isn’t to say that you couldn’t add extra functionality through third-party software, but the out-of-the-box experience, which the vast majority of users experience, was very PC.

In stark contrast, if you take a look at Windows 8 and OS X 10.8, both slated for release in the second half of 2012, almost every feature is somehow linked to the cloud, mobile, or home entertainment; these OSes are no longer PC-oriented, but instead the central, converged hubs for your complete digital existence.

Windows 8 and Mountain Lion, using a single sign-on, will use Windows Live and iCloud to sync all of your documents, images, and music between all of your devices. You will be able to buy a Windows 8 tablet that you can use in the livingroom, and then dock it to a keyboard and mouse when you’re at your desk. With AirPlay mirroring and Game Center, Mountain Lion will double up as a home entertainment system, allowing Mac, iPhone, and iPad users to play against each other on an Apple TV. Windows 8 apps will be very easy to port to Windows Phone 8, and Windows 8 apps will automatically sync between five Windows 8 devices (home, office, tablet, and so on).

Furthermore, the difference — and thus friction — between the desktop and mobile OSes is being reduced. In Mountain Lion, a bunch of iOS features have been lifted straight out and inserted into the desktop OS; most notably the Notification Center. Many apps are being renamed so that they match the iOS equivalents, too: iCal becomes Calendar, iChat becomes Messages, and so on. These changes are in addition to Lion’s introduction of an app launcher and gestures that are virtually identical to iOS.

On the Windows side, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that primary interface — the Metro Start Screen — is very similar to the Windows Phone 7 (and 8). The latest update to the Xbox 360 dashboard is also very Metro-inspired (and there are Xbox Live companion apps for both Windows Phone and Windows 8). Finally, there’s a rumor that the Xbox 720 might even be powered by Windows 8. Microsoft insists that the Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 app stores will be separate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if — eventually — phone, console, and tablet/laptop/desktop all share the same Metro app store.

Apple has the upper hand

It’s clear, then, that Microsoft and Apple have both settled on a post-PC reality — but, interestingly both companies are converging from completely different directions. Microsoft is trying to leverage its way into the tablet and phone market by way of its massive Windows user base. Apple, on the flip side, is trying to get iOS users to pony up for a Mac laptop, Apple TV, and eventually an Apple iTV.

The problem, of course, is that Windows 8 is a massive, revolutionary gamble that takes Microsoft way beyond its comfort zone. For 30 years, Microsoft has been making money on x86 PCs and servers, and the Office suite of software. With Windows 8, Microsoft is moving to a brand new architecture, giving away Office for free, doing away with the Start button and menu, and generally making a huge mess of the Desktop/Explorer side of things. Adding to this, Windows Phone 7 is limping along, and there’s no real indication that Windows drives users to the Xbox 360, and vice versa. In short, Microsoft needs Windows 8 to succeed on tablets and drive sales of Windows Phone 8… or it’s screwed.

Apple, on the other hand, has the iPhone and iPad; two of the world’s most desirable mobile devices. On the back of just these two devices, Apple’s fourth quarter revenue was over $46 billion. More than 50 million iPhones and iPads were sold in this period, and it’s really no surprise that the same quarter also saw record breaking sales of Macs. In short, Apple already has a huge head start in The Great Convergence. Apple has already made its revolutionary leaps — way back in 2007 with the iPhone, and again with the iPad in 2010 — and the payoff has been huge. Where Microsoft now has to bet it all on a form factor it has no experience with, Apple has a proven formula that it can tweak and refine.

The only way Microsoft will come out of this alive, and maybe even the winner, is if it differentiates itself from Apple.

Imagine that the path to computing convergence is a thick jungle. Apple is pushing ahead, gradually and sensibly chopping away with a machete and occasionally discovering hidden treasures in (oc)cult temples. The path is only wide enough for one, with no possibility of Microsoft (or Samsung or Google) squeezing past. If Microsoft walks in Apple’s shadow, which so many other companies have done — if it tries to imitate Apple — it will lose. If Microsoft can forge its own path, perhaps with a metaphorical tractor or some good ol’ napalm, it could come out on top.

The good news is that Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are shaping up to being very different beasts to OS X and iOS. Microsoft won’t have the chance to prove that its path to convergence is better than Apple’s until they launch, though — and a lot can happen between now and fall. The iPad 3 and iOS 5.1 are due to be announced any day now, and the Apple iTV should appear before Windows 8, too.

Read more about Windows 8 or iOS

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Canonical outs Ubuntu TV: Brave or stupid?

Last week we covered the news that Canonical would announce a new Ubuntu concept device at CES. At the time we believed it would be a smartphone or tablet, possibly made by LG. Everyone in the ET bunker was buzzing with the possibilities of such a device, especially when paired with — perhaps — an Ubuntu-based ultrabook. The smiles that had been pasted on our faces quickly melted away this morning, however, when it emerged that this “top secret” project is actually an Ubuntu TV — an ill-fated attempt to launch Canonical into the realm of commercial consumer electronics, and seemingly the product of delusions of grandeur.

Updated: There’s now a video of Ubuntu TV at the bottom of the story.

First, the facts about Ubuntu TV. This is a new build of the open-source software, optimized for television resolutions. Included in the feature list is a PVR for live TV, plus integration with cable and satellite providers to display show schedules that allow you to queue up recordings. As well as options for viewing your favorite programs, Ubuntu TV comes with a “box office built right in” that gives you access to movie rentals, YouTube, and other online media outlets. The software is geared to allow you to use your Android device or iPhone as a remote, which also ties into the Ubuntu Software Center. You will be able to download apps right to your TV that will expand functionality. The front end interface, as you can probably tell from the screenshot, is an optimized-for-TV-resolutions version of the hotly debated Unity UI.

Sound familiar?

That’s because it’s exactly what every other company is offering.

How in the world does Canonical hope to establish a foothold in a smart television market that’s already insanely crowded? Right now, you can choose from Google TV, the Boxee Box, Apple TV, XBMC, Plex, and myriad others to create “smart” experiences on your television. There is a reason that not one company has broken away from the pack in regards to media convergence on televisions: It’s a bad interactive platform! When you sit and watch TV, you want to consume, not have to navigate menus and options that make it like work. If the interaction is fun, like Microsoft’s approach with Kinect and Metro UI, then you might have something.

Ubuntu TV is not innovation on Canonical’s part. Rather, it’s part of a disjointed plan based on a poor assumption that Ubuntu is more popular than it really is. Ever since the release of Unity, users have been jumping ship because they can see the writing on the wall. Canonical is spreading into markets that it really has no business being in unless it can bring something unique to the table. If it had announced some novel approach to viewing television, I might think otherwise — but the fact is this announcement is just another yawner.

Canonical would have had me at hello if it was announcing an ultrabook. I don’t want or need an Ubuntu smartphone, nor do I obviously desire Ubuntu TV. Give me a device that is portable and has incredible battery life, and you can count on my business. I don’t need more bloat in my life than I already have.

Ubuntu TV is destined to be put into the same bracket that Google TV and the Boxee Box has: mediocre technology that has niche appeal and nothing more. Users who want Ubuntu on their TVs already have it, in the form of a computer and a HDMI cable.

Read more at Ubuntu

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Hacker hopes to force Apple’s hand by hacking Apple TV to run iOS apps

Yet again proving the ingenuity of software hackers, two iOS devs have taken the second-generation Apple TV and created a hack that allows them to run iOS applications through the device via an emulator. Their hope is that Apple will take notice and be forced to create an app store that is usable by the device.

Steve Troughton-Smith and Nick “TheMudkip” worked together on a jailbroken Apple TV to code an emulator called MobileX that takes advantage of the fact that the device is in essence an iOS device under the hood. Sporting an iPad-like A4 chip as well as a modified version of iOS 5, the new Apple TV has the horsepower to run apps in the emulator smoothly. In videos demonstrating MobileX in action, the duo had Facebook, Angry Birds and YouTube running on their television screen, as well as Cydia, the rogue app store for jailbroken devices. A video of the hack in action is embedded below.

Before you go rushing to download the hack package to enjoy some Angry Birds action on your television, here’s the bad news: Troughton-Smith says they aren’t releasing the hack to the public just yet. He does say, however, that the team is giving away the proper software libraries so app devs can optimize their code for use with the Apple TV remote.

Until apps are optimized using the aforementioned libraries, you can control the action on the screen using a Mac Magic Trackpad. While this solution sounds feasible, it can slow the performance of applications down because of the fact that it connects over a VNC connection. Simply put, the Trackpad has to connect to a middleman to talk to the apps running in the emulator.

I admire the fact that the team has set out to achieve the lofty goal of being the catalyst that forces Apple to release an Apple TV app store. I think that they will get their wish, but not because of the hack they created. With the rumors of an all-in-one Apple television set continuing to fly around, an app store dedicated to iOS-enabled televisions is most likely already in the works. It also wouldn’t be surprising if the upcoming iPad 3 can connect to these new display devices in more than just an AirPlay display-mirroring capacity.

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