iPhone Inside: Specs and Silicon Secrets

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» 10 May 2009

iPhone Inside: Specs and Silicon Secrets

The exact specifications for many iPhone chips are mysterious and ambiguous. Even though the many features and precise dimensions of the iPhone are well-documented, there are a lot of people who want to know what's inside it. Should the clandestine Apple Empire emulate PC manufacturers and become more open about the iPhone's specs and other secrets?

On the other hand, there are also a lot of people who couldn't care less about the silicon inside their iPhones. What's important is that the phone works. Still, would it really hurt Apple to post the specifications for its smartphone's core silicon?

For example, take the typical notebook laptop. In order for potential buyers to know the true value of the computer they want to purchase, they need to see the exact specifications of the device. Nothing beats having an informed buying decision, especially considering the current slump the world economy is facing. Although the iPhone isn't offered in various processor SKUs (models) like a notebook, it is very similar to a PC when it comes to its features and demands for more openness.

Then again, ever since its launch, the mysteries behind the sleek-black plastic gadget have not remained hidden for long despite Apple's insistence to keep mum on the subject. Just a week after its U.S. launch, hundreds of Apple aficionados tore and unbolted apart the expensive phone in order to uncover what made it tick.

In particular, Nikkei's TechOn website has attempted to make an accurate assessment of the iPhone's numerous specs, particularly its main chip that acts as an application processor. They report that they've found a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) with Apple's logo (339S0036 ARM K4X1G163PC-DGC3) on it. They presume it to be an application processor with an ARM core manufactured by Korea's Samsung Electronics. Their insights on its semiconductors were a bit more unambiguous, noting that it's a "Samsung ARM11-based design."

The main goal of users curious about the iPhone's specs—at least people who can actually tell the difference between an IC and a LSI—is gaining useful knowledge of what exactly they're getting by buying an iPhone. Are they going to get a smartphone with a processor made by Intel, Nvidia, Freescale, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, or Samsung? Being able to know upfront who makes the applications processor and other core silicon would be highly useful to in-the-know buyers, especially considering the sheer number of smartphone options growing by the minute.