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iPhone to use Intel processor

by Erica Sadun Jan 10th 2007 at 12:30PM

Here's a real quickie factoid about the upcoming Apple iPhone. It will use an Intel CPU. A Reuters article from this morning states that Intel will supply the iPhone's CPU. This was confirmed by an Apple Germany spokesman, "The processor is from Intel." If a bit of googling serves, current iPods run off Portal Players (5G video), SigmaTel (shuffle), and ARM (2G Nano) chips.

Of course, the real question that the most geeky among us will be asking is, "Can it run Linux"?. I suspect that the world will have to wait a while before that pressing question gets answered.

Thanks Scotto.

Update: Loyal TUAW reader Moto points us to this correction. Looks like it's the AppleTV not the iPhone getting the Intel chip.



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Here's a real quickie factoid about the upcoming Apple iPhone. It will use an Intel CPU. A Reuters article from this morning states that...
 

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Joe

I work for Intel and can confirm that the iPhone does not use an Intel processor but it does use Intel flash memory. The Apple TV does use an Intel processor.

January 10 2007 at 7:28 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mark

This made me think about how they could handle the smooth graphic interface for the iPhone. I wonder if it used the cpu or if it's a dedicated accelerator like the Ati Imageon or nVidia GoForce. The Imageon has a 2mp camera processing engine that seems it'd lend itself well to the 2mp camera in the iPhone (just speculation, of course.)

January 10 2007 at 3:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Stephen Beckwith

It could still be in "Intel" processor, but most likely one of the XScale processors they didn't sell to Marvell. Most all cell phones use ARM based processors, as they are the best "watt per MHz" for "embedded" devices like handhelds, phones, etc. Check out the PXA800F part from Intel, bet this is the one (or some variant thereof)

January 10 2007 at 3:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Federico \'Phate\' Pistono

This is what we ALWAYS ask ourselves as soon as a new device comes out.

Can it run Linux?

What can't? XboX, PS2, GameCube, NintendoDS, iPod, Alpha, SPARC, PPC, x86...

January 10 2007 at 2:58 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Goobimama

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahaha! LOL and whatnot on my side for that penguin comment by Tom...

January 10 2007 at 1:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tony C

Yes, the Apple TV was stated by His Steveness as having an Intel processor, but nothing on the iPhone, was there?

Well, it almost has to be Intel... Those iPod Samsung ARM and dedicated PortalPlayer chips certainly wouldn't cut running the OSX kernel well, as powerful as their manufacturers may think they are. Fairly low-res video playback and games seems to be about all that lot can render enough horsepower for.

I'd expect maybe an ultra-low-power Pentium M or a higher end PDA-class Intel ARM processor, but I certainly wouldn't rule out Samsung as a provider again.

January 10 2007 at 1:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Robert Hawley


They have been VERY quiet about the processor used. I suspect an Intel, but an unannounced Intel.

Given that it runs MOSX they will want to keep it in the Intel family.

January 10 2007 at 1:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Nathan

An apple representative standing near an iPhone at Macworld, told me it has an intel chip. May or may not be true.

January 10 2007 at 1:22 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
MNiT

Oh yeah, apple TV. I remember.

January 10 2007 at 12:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
MNiT

Erm, Jobs announced it had an intel processor himself during the keynote.

January 10 2007 at 12:54 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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