Low Cost, Low Power Demand, Custom A4, A5 Processors Allow Apple to Decrease Dependence on Intel, x86

xbitlabs’ Anton Shilov observes that Apple’s custom A4 and A5 system-on-chip (SoC) solutions help the company to not only maximize its profit margins and tailor a custom feature-set for its consumer electronics, but also to greatly reduce its dependence of Intel Corp.’s x86 microprocessors, noting that according to high-tech market research firm IHS iSuppli, Apple shipped some 50 million A4 SoCs in 2010, accounting for 80% of microprocessors it installed into its products. Shilov notes that the low-cost, highly integrated A4 and A5 silicon is an important element in Apple’s philosophy of offering products focused on delivering a compelling user interface and a greatly optimized computing platform for Apple’s iOS operating system, and that with the new design paradigm of smart phones and tablets, computing efficiency trumps raw computing power demanding highly integrated microprocessors that emphasize graphics performance, lower power consumption and small space usage.

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