Wednesday, 12 November 2014
With a new platform-neutral Microsoft, why go Windows?
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With the iPad Air 2, Apple found to be customizing the GPU as well
The 64-bit SoC powering the iPad Air 2, the A8X, was found to be using a custom GPU that is designed to offer better performance per Watt. Being an ARM IP licensee, Apple uses a custom design for its CPUs, while offering a standard Imagination Technologies GPU. With the A8X, however, it looks like Apple is undertaking GPU customization as well. AnandTech initially discovered that the GPU in the iPad Air 2 features an eight-cluster design, which does not match any of Imagination Technologies' current offerings in the Series6 family:
With 8 clearly visible GPU clusters, there is no question at this point that A8X is not using a GX6650, but rather something more. And this is perhaps where the most interesting point comes up, due to the fact that Imagination does not have an official 8 cluster Series6XT GPU design. While Apple licenses PowerVR GPU cores, not unlike their ARM IP license they are free to modify the Imagination designs to fit their needs, resulting in an unusual semi-custom aspect to their designs (and explaining what Apple has been doing with so many GPU engineers over the last couple of years).
In this case it appears that Apple has taken the GX6450 design and created a new design from it, culminating in an 8 cluster Series6XT design. Officially this design has no public designation – while it's based on an Imagination design it is not an official Imagination design, and of course Apple doesn't reveal codenames – but for the sake of simplicity we are calling it the GXA6850.
What does this mean for the end-user though? Well, for one thing, Apple was able to deliver outstanding performance by tweaking the design of its CPUs, and now it looks like the vendor is applying a similar technique when it comes to the GPU segment. If you're interested in knowing more, head to AnandTech from the link below for all the details.
Source: AnandTech
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UK mobile operator GiffGaff is now offering 4G LTE on monthly plans starting from £12
UK mobile operator GiffGaff has unveiled new plans to take advantage of faster 4G LTE speeds. Utilizing the O2 network, the virtual mobile operator is offering 4G on plans that start from £12 a month (for 1GB of data). There's no option for unlimited use, however, limiting power users to 5GB of 4G data for £18 a month.
Since GiffGaff works on the O2 network (800MHz), you'll need to have a 4G compatible mobile device (phones aren't included with the affordable plan pricing), but it's positive to see the network to offer LTE and provide more choice for consumers in the UK.
Will you be looking into GiffGaff's 4G LTE offering? Let us know your thoughts on the network's pricing in the comments.
Source: GiffGaff, via: The Next Web
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Singapore ISP unveils 2Gbps fiber broadband service
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The Relationship Status of the U.S., Visualized
Ever wondered where people are more likely to get hitched, or perhaps live out their life solo? These maps, created by Nathan Yau, show how relationship status varies across the entire country.
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iMessage: Judge orders Apple to face lawsuit over disappearing text messages
Apple's iMessage problem just won't go away. After rolling out a fix for a long-running issue where text messages were going missing for users switching to Android from iOS, a judge has ruled that the tech giant must now face a lawsuit over the problem.
The post iMessage: Judge orders Apple to face lawsuit over disappearing text messages appeared first on Digital Trends.
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