How to Jailbreak Your iPhone Using Absinthe 2.0 (Windows) [5.1.1]

These are instructions on how to perform an untethered jailbreak of your iPhone on iOS 5.1.1 using Absinthe for Windows.

Warning***: Before you continue make sure to do a backup of your device in iTunes as you may lose your Camera Roll during this process.

Step One
Download the latest version of Absinthe from here.

Step Two
Extract the downloaded archive.



Step Three
Double click the absinthe-win-2.0.exe file from the folder that was just extracted.



This will create a new folder called absinthe-win-2.0.



Open the newly created folder and launch absinthe.exe.



Step Three
As prompted, connect your iPhone to the computer via USB. Make sure to remove any passcodes or VPN settings you've previously set.



Step Four
Click the Jailbreak button to begin




Step Five
The application will take you through several steps to jailbreak including: beginning jailbreak, sending initial jailbreak data, sending final jailbreak data, waiting for reboot, and waiting for process to complete.










Step Six
You will be informed that the jailbreak is 'Done'.



Step Seven
In a few moments you will notice Cydia appear on your Springboard!

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- Posted using my iPhone 4

iOS 5.1.1 Untethered Jailbreak is Nearly Ready for Release

Pod2g has announced that iPad 3,3 support has been added to the Absinthe jailbreak utility, leaving only the iPad 2,4 jailbreak to be implemented.

OK just added iPad3,3 support to Absinthe thanks to @flawlessfox. Only remains iPad2,4 now but we need the actual device.

Any people of #HITB2012AMS has an iPad2,4? Model number: either MC954 or MC989. Please check in Settings / General / About.

Support for the following devices has been completed:
- iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4, iPhone 4 CDMA, iPhone 4S, iPad 1, iPad 2 Wifi, iPad 2 GSM, iPad 2 CDMA, iPad 3 Wifi, iPad 3 CDMA, iPad 3 Global, iPod 3G, iPod 4G, AppleTV 2.

If anyone at the HITBSecConf has the new iPad2,4 device please contact @pod2g.

You can follow Limerain on @limerain_com, Facebook page , or RSS to be notified of the jailbreak's release.



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Quick Info Sheet for iOS 5.1.1 Untethered Jailbreak

MuscleNerd from the iPhone Dev-Team has posted some details on the upcoming untethered jailbreak from pod2g.

---
● All info below is tentative and subject to last minute refinements

● @pod2g's 5.1.1 jailbreak+untether is working out great. All devices are covered except for AppleTV3,1, which currently has no path for jailbreaking.
- the initial 5.1.1 plan used a kernel exploit from @westbaer which unfortunately precluded use in iPod3,1 and iPhone2,1
- @planetbeing stepped up and provided a kernel exploit that covers both of those. Those two JBers are the bomb!

● The 5.1.1 A5 JB is very similar to the A5 5.0.1 JB. @pimskeks has done a tremendous job supporting both 5.0.1 and 5.1.1 in absinthe

● Similar to 5.0.1, there will also be a 5.1.1 CLI "cinject" binary and redsn0w version of the 5.1.1 JB+untether. Absinthe, cinject, and redsn0w will all provide the same JB in different fashions.
- timing is indeterminate. Plans are for this week, but a number of factors can influence that.

● For those wishing to donate, we've set up a new 5.1.1 paypal URL: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=4U6DQGJ2NRVUN

● Please don't pirate AppStore apps (seriously, please do not).
---

The jailbreak is set for release very shortly. You can check out the video below and follow Limerain on @limerain_com, Facebook page , or RSS to be notified of the jailbreak's release.


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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Untethered iOS 5.1.1 Jailbreak is Just Days Away From Release

Pod2g has announced that the untethered jailbreak of iOS 5.1.1 is just days away from release.

Thanks to awesome work of @planetbeing and @pimskeks, we're near ready for a release. Now it's a matter of days.

Here is the list of devices that are known to work for sure:
● iPhone 3Gs
● iPhone 4
● iPhone 4 CDMA
● iPhone 4S
● iPad 1
● iPad 2 Wifi
● iPad 2 GSM
● iPad 2 CDMA
● iPad 3 Wifi
● iPad 3 CDMA
● iPod 3G
● iPod 4G

Here is the list of devices that won't be supported:
● AppleTV 3

Remains to test (but that should work):
● iPad 2 Wifi, R2
● iPad 3 Global
● AppleTV 2

You can follow Limerain on @limerain_com, Facebook page , or RSS to be notified of any updates.


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Planetbeing, MuscleNerd, and P0sixninja Help Pod2g With A5 Untethered Jailbreak

Pod2g has announced that Planetbeing, MuscleNerd, and P0sixninja have joined his effort to release an untethered jailbreak of the iPhone 4S and iPad 2.

@planetbeing, the legendary hacker behind iPhone Linux and lot of jailbreaks has joined the A5 research! The famous @MuscleNerd, the leader of the iPhone Dev Team, who did a lot of tests for Corona and whom integrated it and made it simple in redsn0w is willing to help also. And last, but not least @p0sixninja, the leader of the Chronic Dev Team, and my partner for years on iPhone security research has started to code and fuzz the Apple sandbox.

We now have a dream team to find a path for a public release of the A5 jailbreak. Cross your fingers.

Yesterday, pod2g posted a FAQ on why the A5 jailbreak had not been released yet. The key reason being that the exploit used to inject the untethering files to the 4S relies on having a developer account.

With the help of planetbeing, MuscleNerd, and p0sixninja, pod2g is hoping to find a distributable exploit to remount the system partition read/write and to set Corona files at the correct places.




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Pod2g Posts FAQ on iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Untethered Jailbreak

Pod2g has posted on his blog to answer some questions about the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 untethered jailbreak.

How could pod2g have an untethered 4S and dev teams still haven't released tools to achieve this at home ?
The exploit I used to inject the untethering files to the 4S relies on having a developer account, and can't be released publicly. It's the same reason why @MuscleNerd has an iPad 2 tethered jailbreak but couldn't distribute it. So, we need to find a distributable exploit to remount the system partition read/write and to set Corona files at the correct places.

Why A4 version of Corona was easier to release ?
Because a tethered jailbreak is a good way to install Corona!

Why don't you do a tethered jailbreak then ?
A tethered jailbreak also relies on an exploitable vulnerability that we still haven't found yet !

Earlier this week, pod2g posted that he had made good progress on the jailbreak for A5 devices and said with some luck we could expect a release in a week.

Read more



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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Pod2g Makes Progress With A5 Jailbreak, Release Could Come in a Week!

Pod2g has just tweeted some interesting information regarding the A5 jailbreak. Apparently, pod2g has made good progress on the jailbreak for A5 devices and claims that if lucky, we could expect it in a week!

I made a step today for the A5. With some luck we could expect a release in a week.

Keep in mind though, there are still some roadblocks ahead and the ETA can always get pushed back. In the meantime, you can jailbreak any pre-A5 device on 5.0.1 using our jailbreak tutorial page located here.

We will keep you updated on the A5 jailbreak as well. You can follow us on @limerain_com, Facebook page , RSS.


via Pod2g




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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Pod2g Demos Untethered iOS 5.0.1 Jailbreak on the iPhone 4

Pod2g has posted a video demonstrating an untethered jailbreak of iOS 5.0.1 on the iPhone 4.

Here is a new video demo of the current status of the 5.0.1 jailbreak running on an iPhone 4. This is meant to reassure people that were thinking it only works on older iPods.

The jailbreak is near ready for prime time (excluding 4S and iPad 2). Patches are the same as redsn0w's. Expect the same level of stability. Some more days to wait. Be patient, we're doing our best.

As usual you can follow us on @limerain_com, Facebook page , and RSS to be notified of any progress updates.



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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Pod2g Resolves Cache Troubles With the iPhone 4S Untethered Jailbreak

Pod2g has resolved the cache troubles with the iPhone 4S untethered jailbreak, according to a new progress update.

---
OK, figured it out, the A5 cache is not a problem anymore. I sorted it out by doing the untether in a single thread and by flushing all the dcache then all the icache in a row at a strategical point of the process. It took me like a hundred of tests to find the key. Hard for the nerves.

For the tech guys, here is a link explaining issues related to self modifying code ( or code patching ) on the ARM platform : http://blogs.arm.com/software-enablemen ... ying-code/

Another news : I discussed with @saurik today about the launchd boot process, and he's found one missing piece of the puzzle I needed to have a perfectly stable jailbreak. He's definitly one of the best iOS gurus out there. Thank you saurik!
---

Things are definitely progressing. We'll let you know when we have more news via @limerain_com, Facebook page , and RSS.



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- Posted using my iPhone 4

iPhone 4S, It really is twice as fast, Siri supports Raise to Speak

As Apple announced this morning one million iPhone 4S pre-orders in just 24 hours and some customers began receiving shipping notifications, someone out there already has the handset in their hands and they have a video to prove it (via MacRumors). The interesting bit is the Siri section in Settings which lets you choose between activating Siri by holding down the home button or simply raising your handset to your ear, which 9to5Mac indicated back in August. This feature isn’t simply activated via the iPhone’s proximity sensor sensing your ear (like the Google app for iOS), but also taps motion sensors for accuracy as well. Other Siri options in the Settings interface include language choices (English, French and German at launch, Apple promised more to come at a later stage), Voice Feedback, My Info and enabling/disabling Siri system-wide. According to early benchmarks, Apple wasn’t lying describing iPhone 4S as “twice as fast”. The handset scores 2222.1 milliseconds in the SunSpider benchmark and 89567 in the BrowserMark benchmark. This compares to a BrowserMark score of 44856 on an iPhone 4 with iOS 5.


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Samsung no longer exclusive chip supplier as Apple turns elsewhere for A6 processor?

Samsung, a producer of critical parts for Apple’s gadgets, may be on the verge of suffering another financial blow from Apple. A new report alleges that the Cupertino, California-headquartered personal electronics maker began lining up alternative suppliers for the A6 chip. The in-house designed processor should debut in iPad 3 next year and eventually make its way into iPhone 6 .

Trade publication DigiTimes has it on good authority that Apple recently visited an assembly line of packaging and testing firm Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL). Based on what they saw, they concluded that officials from Apple are reportedly willing to discuss the possibility of working together on the upcoming A6 processor:

Apple recently conducted a visit to SPIL’s assembly line, and both parties discussed opportunities for cooperation, the sources revealed. SPIL stands a chance of becoming the first packaging and testing service provider designated by Apple, cutting into the supply chain of the vendor’s processor line, the sources said.
The report explains SPIL is likely to “snatch outsourcing orders” for the A6 chip. Needles to say, SPIL is denying the story, which is what companies caught up in juicy Apple rumors always do.




If true, the report would seem to corroborate whispers that Samsung is losing orders to other Asian suppliers due to its legal wranglings with Apple. We heard before that Apple began test runs of the quad-core A6 processor with TSMC (Intel wants that biz, too). The deal with TSMC is also said to involve the A5 chip, implicating that Samsung could already no longer be the exclusive manufacturer of Apple-designed silicon for iOS devices.

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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Apple begins testing TSMC A6 processor with 28-nanometer process, coming Q2 next year

Taiwan Economic News is reporting that local Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd (TSMC), the company slated to supply Apple with the A6 processor after a shift from Samsung, has begun trials of the new chip made with the company’s “newest 28-nanometer process and 3D stacking technologies”. However, dont expect to see the A6 in a new iteration of the iPad anytime soon, as the report suggests the processor wont be officially unveiled until Q2 of next year, at the earliest.

Included in the report:

TSMC has applied its newest 28-nanometer process and 3D stacking technologies to produce the next-generation processor A6, which is based on the ARM architecture and will undergo TSMC’s cutting-edge silicon interposer and bump on trace (BOT) methodologies. Industry insiders said that the manufacturing will help to pump considerable momentum into TSMC’s business growth starting next year, though the company has yet to comment on the deal for the moment.
This contradicts an earlier report thru Reuters which stated that test production had already begun in July. Both reports agreed that the final A6 processors would be complete and ready for iPad 3 in early 2012. EETimes had reported the move back in March which was said to involve Apple’s current A5 chip but that never materialized.

An Apple switch to TSMC would obviously be a huge blow to ‘frenemy’ Samsung who currently makes the iPad CPU, DRAM and supplies Flash storage as well.

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iPhone 5 not arriving soon because the A5 chip is overheating...

Best mockup of iPhone 5/4GS only thing it is missing is a FaceTime camera

We’re taking this one with a healthy dose of skepticism (and so should you) and purely for the sake of the discussion. Straight from Chinese-language site Sohu.com comes a story of an iPhone 5 delay blamed on the A5 chip overheating. If machine translation is to be believed, that’s why Apple pushed back the next iPhone launch from the usual June-July timeframe into the late August-early September timeframe. The story has it that Apple’s silicon team is facing difficulties keeping the dual-core A5 chip cool in the iPhone’s tiny enclosure where space and battery are at premium.

This has led the company to postpone the iPhone 5 launch for an unspecified period of time, but quite possibly into 2012. And there you have it, the iPhone 5 – described as a major, “revolutionary” upgrade – won’t arrive “soon”. The story also mentions that Apple will be transitioning to a 28-nanometer manufacturing process with the A6 chip, apparently due next year. The A5 chip that goes into iPad 2 is manufactured on Samsung’s 45-nanometer process and is almost twice the size of the iPhone 4′s A4 processor. If there’s any substance to this story, what then (if anything) will Apple release come this Fall?


The author speculates that the venerable iPhone 4S – a modest upgrade from iPhone 4 – will keep fans busy until Apple’s engineers find a solution to overheating woes. Insiders mentioned in the story re-iterate many of the iPhone 4S specs the blogosphere has already chewed upon, such as an eight-megapixel camera, a Gorilla glass display, likely a dual-core chip (could this be a dual-core variant of the iPhone 4′s A4?) and “4G network” support. Now, the claim of the A6 production on a 28-nanometer process in 2012 somewhat jive with an EETimes report from March. Per that piece, Apple was abandoning Samsung and moving silicon manufacturing to rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and their 28-nanometer process. It is interesting to note that Samsung’s disappointing earnings guidance and losses at their LCD panel and manufacturing divisions could indicate that Apple may have been sourcing parts from alternative suppliers for weeks, if not months. Summing up, we here at 9to5Mac are unsure about how reputable this report is and without it being in native tongue, it is difficult to get a sense of how credible it is.


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- Posted using my iPhone 4

New Time Capsules to run iOS on A4 or A5 processors?

According to Ars, the Time Capsule/Airport Extreme refreshes we’ve been hearing about are getting some iOS/A4-5 love.

Our own source tells Ars that the revised hardware is believed to be built around Apple’s own A4 or A5 processor, and will run iOS much like the most recent Apple TV model.

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The Rumor mill is turning again, Apple has an A5-powered MacBook Air with Thunderbolt I/O in labs. What’s the big picture?

Apple’s custom-built A5 chip currently powers iPad 2 and is expected to make its way into next-gen iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV

Japanese blog Macotakara, which accurately outlined some of the iPad 2 features, in its latest story claims that an A5-powered MacBook Air with Thunderbolt I/O is being tested in Apple’s labs. The machine could be manufactured by Quanta Computer, the story has it. The article quotes a source who allegedly saw an early prototype:

According to this source who saw live A5 MacBook Air actually, this test machine performed better than expected. Though it’s not clear which Mac OS X or iOS is pre-installed on this A5 MacBook Air, iOS seems to have difficulty to use features of Thunderbolt without Finder. And even if Mac OS X is installed, developer should spend time to support A5 on Universal Binary Applications. As considering these situation, this A5 MacBook Air seems to be made just for experiment.
The rumor aligns well with a recent SemiAccurate speculation that Apple will transition their portables lineup to custom-built chips with ARM-based processing cores. Not that Macotakara’s hit-and-miss record is anything to go by, but we have to ask ourselves what benefits – if any – the iPad 2′s A5 chip would bring to Apple’s ultra-thin notebook. Here’s the big picture…




Pictured above: a clamcase iPad case


The A5 is a low-powered piece of silicon custom-designed for mobile devices like iPad 2 where battery life is everything. It’s certainly more power efficient than a Core 2 Duo processor in your MacBook Air. In other words, an A5-powered MacBook Air should – theoretically speaking – run much longer on a single charge (on the downside, CPUs aren’t that much of a battery hog compared to backlit LCDs). The A5 would also allow for even thinner MacBook Air designs. Why? Because it combines multiple components on a single piece of silicon, including the processing and graphics cores, RAM and the memory controller. Should Apple apply some of its deal-making magic to Intel, the next iteration of the A5 processor (let’s call it A6) could marry Intel’s x86 platform to the ARM-based CPU core and Imagination-licensed graphics found in Apple’s chip. Intel could manufacture such a chip using their latest 3D-transistor technology, which is said to enable notable performance improvements without taxing battery. After all, Intel openly suggested it would welcome Apple’s custom silicon business, saying it “wouldn’t blink” if Apple approached them with an idea of doing a product that involves Intel’s architecture and Apple’s customized silicon design. Speculating further, the Apple A6 chip designed and manufactured in co-operation with Intel would take the MacBook Air to the next level of thinness and lightness. More importantly, the chip would enable the machine to seamlessly run both iPad and Mac apps natively and x86-compiled software for Windows and Linux via BootCamp.

If Apple is indeed taking this road, wouldn’t they in the greater scheme of things eventually transition Mac OS X to the ARM architecture, too? Concurrent development and maintenance of Mac OS X and iOS would be simplified as a result. With both operating systems ARM-based and running on chips that support both ARM and Intel architestures, users could theoretically be able to run universal applications that contain interface assets and logic which cater to both iOS devices (iPhones and iPads) and notebook/desktop computers. Some of the biggest players are already embracing ARM. Microsoft confirmed Windows 8 will run on both ARM and x86 architectures and graphics giant Nvidia indicated plans to create desktop-class chips that combine Nvidia’s graphics expertise with ARM-based CPU cores. Am I fantasizing? Meet us in comments…

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IDC: iPad and other ARM devices can be classified as PCs

Influential market research firm IDC has begun listing ARM-based mobile chips alongside Intel PC processors. Previously, smartphone and tablets chips based on Arm Holdings’ CPU blueprints were listed in a category separate of Intel-based PC chips. CNET relayed an IDC research note that says:

For the first time, IDC is forecasting PC microprocessor units by processor architecture, including those based on x86 (Intel and Advanced Micro Devices) and those based on ARM.
IDC didn’t say whether the change means categorizing iPad as a personal computing device. If so, grim surveys showing a decline in consumer PC sales might look different. Folks are increasingly picking up tablets and prolonging computer upgrades. IDC expects that by 2015 over thirteen percent of PC processors will be based on ARM designs.

A number of chip makers have licenses ARM’s IP. ARM-designed processors are then combined on a single die with other components, such as graphics cores, the memory controller and logic that binds it all together. ARM’s CPU designs dominate in the mobile space, powering the vast majority of smartphones and tablets out there. This includes market leading iPad plus iPhone 4 and iPod touch.

Apple’s A5 chip in iPad 2 is based on ARM’s dual-core Cortex-A9 processor design and is being manufactured by Samsung, which is also an ARM licensee. Texas Instruments and Qualcomm, chip makers behind processors in most Android devices, use ARM designs.

Graphics giant Nvidia also licensed ARM chips for its Tegra processors. The company should debut a new desktop chip by 2012 capable of running Windows 8 as Microsoft announced at CES 2011 that its operating system will support ARM-based architectures in addition to Intel’s x86 platform.


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Is Intel going to build Apple’s A6 chips?

A report relayed by EETimes today has Intel chasing after the next generation Apple AX chips contracts that will go into iOS devices.

”Based on a number of inputs, we believe Intel is also vying for Apple’s foundry business,” said Gus Richard, an analyst with Piper Jaffray & Co., in a new report.”It makes strategic sense for both companies. The combination of Apple’s growing demand and market share in smart phones and tablets gives Intel a position in these markets and drives the logic volume Intel needs to stay ahead in manufacturing,” Richard said.”Intel’s manufacturing lead gives Apple an additional competitive advantage in these markets and distances it from Asian competitors that are knocking off its products,” he said. ”Furthermore, it would also serve to weaken Samsung who is a significant competitive threat to both companies.”
Before the release of the A5, reports had been that apple was looking at TSMC for their chip foundry work. However, since the A5 was revealed to be the work of Samsung, who has manufactured all of Apple’s iOS device processors, TSMC was assumed to be on the back burner.

Since Apple is suing Samsung (and vice versa) Apple may be stepping up its attempts to get its AX processor line manufactured somewhere else.

Intel, however, isn’t in the foundry business. It designs and builds its own integrated processor architectures. Apple and Intel have had a pretty good relationship since the PowerPC handover over five years ago.

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EETimes investigates the larger A5 processor

source: chipworks

EETimes deep dives into the new(ish) Apple A5 processor that debuted in the iPad 2 last month. While there is a lot there and not much new information to take away, they do offer an interesting take on the large size of the processor:

Bold is the only word that can be used to describe Apple’s A5. It was bold to design such a large device. Certainly the CPU+GPU combination is significantly larger than the comparable portion of the A4. However, this is only the beginning of the story. Going beyond these basic elements leaves an additional 34 mm2 or 64 percent of the whole A4 die. Yes, there are very likely additional IP cores there, but there might also be some clever custom design that leverages Apple’s integrated approach.The much larger A5 incited some back and forth amongst analysts on Wall Street. Discussions of die cost miss the point. This is a very determined step in the emerging A-series SoCs. Apple is well aware of the costs of such a large SoC, but decided the overall system performance gains justify the increase in silicon. Is it also possible that the design has lowered other silicon, system or power consumption burdens? The point is that we need to consider the entire system.
To me, this increased size is all about GPU. Sure you have another core and more DRAM, but you don’t just flip a switch and get 9X graphics. Read more at EETimes.
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Larger silicon lets Apple’s A5 chip beat Nvidia’s Tegra 2

The results of the GL Benchmark tests pitting a bunch of GPUs show that Apple’s A5 chip beats Nvidia’s Tegra 2 silicon to the graphics punch. Apple advertises the A5 silicon as being twice as fast than the previous generation with up to ninefold jump in graphics performance. But how was Apple able to beat Nvidia’s graphics wizards at their own game?

Tiernan Ray over at Barron’s has an interesting explanation – Apple’s chip is two and a half times larger than Nvidia’s. More precisely, the A5 measures 122 square millimeters versus 49 square millimeters for the Tegra 2 chip. No matter what people think, size matters. Read on…



The Tegra 2 chip is manufactured on the 40-nanometer process, while the A5 is fabbed on Samsung’s 45-nanometer process. As a result, features on the Apple chip are physically larger.

Still, the difference in size does not explain the performance discrepancy. While both chips run an ARM-designed Cortex-A9 processing core, the Tegra 2 is based on Nvidia’s GeForce versus Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR SGX543 on the A5 chip. Both GPUs are dual-core and support hardware-optimized HD video decoding and encoding, 1080p video output and other nice features.

If the GL Benchmark is anything to go by, then the SGX543 is simply a better performing GPU than Nvidia’s GeForce GPU. Nvidia plans to narrow the gap with the quad-core Tegra 3, codenamed Kal-El, due in the fourth quarter of this year with five times the performance of Tegra 2 silicon.




Custom design doesn’t come cheap but it pays off in Apple’s case, an RBS analyst Didier Scemama explains:

Apple can afford to use a larger chip, which delivers substantially better performance, as it pays a fraction of the price it would pay if it used an off-the-shelf solution with similar performance.
A Tegra 2 system-on-a-chip is a commodity item found in many smartphones and the vast majority of tablets. Apple’s A5 chip powers only the iPad 2 (and soon a next-generation iPod touch and iPhone 5). The two chips have been engineered in-house and manufactured by outer parties. Interestingly, both parties are turning to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for its 28-nanometer process. Nvidia’s partnership with TSMC is confirmed and Apple’s is only rumored, but likely true.

In Apple’s case, the TSMC move will also sooth worries that Samsung – which competes with Apple on everything from smartphones to tablets to notebooks (and successfully, too) – is able to keep up with gadgets from Cupertino because they have early access to Apple’s silicon designs.


*thanks 9to5Mac*

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iOS 5 pushed to the fall: major revamp, cloud-based, WWDC preview?

Written by Ghazy (A New member to the Limerain team)

Instead of keeping to the last 3 years of tradition and showing off iOS 5 at an April preview event and releasing it with iPhone 5 this June, could Apple instead preview it at WWDC and only release it this fall? That’s the rumor TechCrunch’s MG Siegler has posted tonight:
iOS 5 will launch in the fall and will be a major revamp of the OS.
It could well be previewed at WWDC, it just won’t be released then.
The iOS 5 launch is also likely to coincide with the release of a new type of iPad, which we previously reported on.
The new iOS will be heavily built around the cloud, and we could see several new services launch from Apple that take advantage of this.
Yes, one of those is very likely a “music locker” service. There is also a fall launch aim for this, during Apple’s annual music-themed event.
But much of the cloud stuff will first be talked about at WWDC, Apple’s developer event which will take place in June.
One of the new cloud service elements is likely a location service that focuses on finding friends and family members.
As we said yesterday, OS X Lion is still on pace for a summer release — some of the new cloud components are likely to be baked into it as well.
While anything is possible, this doesn’t sound very much like Apple. Release numbers are marketing driven, not engineering driven (which is why internal release numbers aren’t always the same as external, like Windows 7 actually being Windows 6.1 and Apple TV 4.2.1 actually being Apple TV 4.3.1).
Competition is heating up with Google still iterating Android at a breakneck pace, webOS hitting 2.x and 3.0 this year, and the first BlackBerry QNX-based device shipping next month. Apple going 18 months between iOS refreshes would be perceived as falling behind.
Sure Apple will want to have quite a few “tent pole” features to tout for iOS 5 to be certain, but if any one of them — even cloud connectivity — isn’t ready for the spring there’s nothing to stop Apple from rolling out a less ambitious iOS 5 in April anyway. Remember, there were rumors iPad 2 would be delayed and it wasn’t (it just didn’t get a Retina Display.)
(And yes, that does mean that, just like there are rumors of an iPad 3 coming this fall with Retina Display, there may well be iOS 5.1 (or, hey, iOS 6!) rumors for the fall as well.)
So what do you think? Will Apple make us wait an extra 3 months for iOS 5?

*thanks tipb*


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- Posted using my iPhone 4