What Is the Apple A4 Chip?
The Apple A4 chip is a microprocessor used for Apple mobile devices. Its design provides a balance of speed, power and battery life when combined with Apple's other mobile hardware and software. At the time the technology was developed, a faster processor might have decreased battery life, so the chip's specifications were designed particularly to power the iPad's needs while maintaining an average 10-hour battery life for active devices.
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Specifications
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The A4 is a single-core central processing unit (CPU) combined with a graphics processor on a single chip. At a speed of 1GHz, its specifications appear slower than standard computer CPUs, but because the chip has less to power, it can achieve processing speeds equal to or faster than laptop or desktop computers that have twice the processing speed.
Size
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Processors are generally measured according to their clock speed in gigahertz, as well as how many cores they have -- both numbers combined give consumers an idea of the processor's power. However, in mobile devices, physical size becomes important, as a smaller processor means either lighter weight or more room for other hardware, such as dual cameras or bigger batteries. Ars Technica reports the physical size of the A4 chip at 53mm squared, which is less than .1 square inch.
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Uses
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The A4 chip is in most 2010 model year iOS devices. This includes the fourth generation of the iPhone and iPod Touch, as well as the original iPad and second-generation Apple TV units. Second-generation iPads carry the next step in Apple's chip technology, the A5, and other 2011 and later releases may carry this or newer chips as their processors.
Considerations
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Although the A4 chip brought speed and mobility to the devices it powered, as of the date of publication it is rapidly becoming outdated technology. Newer chips for mobile device use multiple core technology, which lets your device run multiple processes simultaneously, allowing faster response and better multitasking.
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References
- Photo Credit Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images
