Next gen iGadgets to be ARMed and dangerous

IT WON'T COME AS a huge surprise to avid Apple watchers, but the New York Times' Ashlee Vance is getting all giddy about the revelation that a senior member of the Cupertino Cabal's chip design team is working on an ARM processor for the next iteration of the Holy Handset.

Apparently, Wei-han Lien dropped the snippet on the 'Facebook for people with proper jobs' site Linkedin.

But it won't come as a massive shock, or cost the engineer his job, as every analyst and hack from here to the wilds of Borneo had already assumed that Apple would be heading in the ARM direction, ever since acquiring PA Semiconducter for a cool $300 million in April this year.

Basic ARM technology is generally licensed from the British company which owns the patents, and then adapted to specific uses. The chips have a great reputation for low power consumption, typically drawing less than 20 watts each, and are extremely customisable.

So Apple designing and producing it's own secondary chip architecture will be another nail in the coffin of those trying to produce knock-off Ithingeys, or another opportunity for the tinfoil hat brigade to start whining about Apple keeping all its best toys to itself.

There's your fence... pick a side. µ

L'Inq
New Yawk Times