In order to bring 1080P video playing to the new Apple TV, Apple included what they called a single-core A5 processors. Many industry watchers noted that this A5 was a new A5 chip specifically designed for the new Apple TV, as it is Apple’s only single-core A5. The A5 SoC from the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 is a dual-core variant. While Apple calls it a single-core A5, Chipworks reveals that, while the chip runs as a single-core unit, the chip is actually dual-core based. Chipworks provides a possible explanation:
Additionally, the teardown firm says this new A5 chip for the new Apple TV is 41% smaller than the A5 processors found in Apple’s other A5-driven devices. The reasoning is quite important for a small, TV-based product: the smaller architecture offers cost-savings to Apple (important for the retention of the $99 pricing), improved power efficiency, and even better performance. Chipworks believes that this new type of A5 chip may be a peak into Apple’s future chips. Earier this week, we reported that Apple is working on a variant of the A5X iPad processor for the sixth-generation iPhone.
