Apple iPad A4 CPU Detailed

There was so much information offered yesterday when the iPad was unveiled by Apple that it was a bit overwhelming. One of the key items of the iPad that didn't get as much talk time on stage as some of the other features was the Apple A4 processor. The one thing that Apple was specific on was that the processor was its own silicon.

Details on the Apple A4 are being offered today. One of the things that is pointed out is that the A4 is not actually a CPU and PA Semi didn't have anything to do with its creation according to reports. The A4 is a SOC integrating an ARM Coretex-A9 MPCore processor, which is exactly like the one NVIDIA uses in its Tegra tech and is found in the Snapdragon from Qualcomm.

The graphics side of this is handled by the ARM Mali 50-series GPU. The A4 also has a memory controller on the silicon as well. What all this means is that the processor is predominately ARM IP that is braded with the Apple name.