iPad 3 to sport quad-core A6 chip, photos suggest
Images purportedly showing iPad 3 diagnostic info show Apple's next tablet will sport a quad-core A6 processor.
Images purportedly showing iPad 3 diagnostic info suggest that Apple's next tablet will sport a quad-core A6 processor.
Boy Genius Report cites a source who claims to have an iPad 3 prototype in his possession, and sent the site some sneaky snaps from a diagnostic tool called iBoot.
The most interesting tidbit to be gleaned from the lines of information is what the iPad 3's processor could look like. In one of the images you can spot the text 'DEVELOPMENT_ARM_S5L8945X'. The A4 chip's model number is S5L8930X, and the A5 is S5L8940X, according to BGR, so the iPad 3 looks set to sport Apple's A6 chip, expected to be a quad-core monster wrought in tiny bits of silicon.
Nothing about the next iPad's processor is confirmed at the moment, but we're expecting the iPad 3 to come with a more powerful chip than the A5 nestled inside the current version.
We'd hardly call the iPad 2 underpowered or sluggish, but a processor that packs more grunt will make the third iteration capable of handling more intensive games, and if -- as rumours suggest -- the next iPad packs a higher resolution retina display, it'll need a faster chip to cope with the bump in pixels.
It's reckoned that the iPad 3 is going by the codenames iPad 3,1 and iPad 3,2, to signify the Wi-Fi and network variants.
As for the release date, Apple released its last two tablets in the spring, so we expect to see the iPad 3 unveiled in the next few months. On the other hand, Apple doesn't have much competition in terms of tablets, so perhaps it'll leave the iPad 2 on sale for a bit longer before offering up the next one.
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Image credit: BGR