As noted by Mac Otakara, Japanese parts firm Moumantai has posted three photos of what may be the bare logic board from the iPhone 5S. Unsurprisingly, the shape of the board is nearly identical to that of the iPhone 5 logic board, although it appears to have a slightly different curve along the bottom edge where the logic board would meet the speaker enclosure.
Few details can be obtained from the part, as there are no chips or other components attached to the board, although it does contain a somewhat different placement of screw holes and a tweaked chip layout. The main A-series chip appears as if it will be slightly larger in area than the A6 seen in the iPhone 5, as it takes up a greater width of the logic board.
Apple's iPhone 5S is expected to launch later this year, perhaps around the September timeframe. Following Apple's pattern of two-year body style cycles, the iPhone 5S will reportedly appear very similar to the iPhone 5 and focus on internal improvements. One differentiating feature may, however, be a fingerprint sensor, which is rumored to be location on or near the device's home button.
Update 8:32 AM: As noted in our forums by chrmjenkins, the logic board may actually be slightly narrower than on the iPhone 5, meaning that the main A-series chip may be the same size as the A6 in the iPhone 5.
I think the logic board has gotten narrower. Notice how the A6 has room for a triple row of caps to its left? The new logic board only has room for a single row (caps being placed longways, granted). Also, the back of the iPhone 5 logic board has the Hynix memory module spanning the whole board. Now since the board is thinner, it's been forced to rotate 90 degrees to fit since it's longer than it is wide.
Weird, I'm sure Apple made improvements in virtually every single aspect of iOS 7 over iOS 6, and I'm also sure I logged into MacRumors, not twitter.
Must be my computer playing up. Restarting now...
Haha amazing to see how many people now seem to care about form over function when usually they're complaining about Apple doing the same thing. For me quick access to common settings and better multitasking > design of app icons.
Lots of possibilities here. Assuming they're moving to 28nm, it definitely means they're adding stuff if it's getting bigger.
Possibilities:
* Rogue family GPU. Die size is unknown for this family so it may well be a reason for increase. * Quad core. Apple may have optimized iOS 7 and its APIs for a true quad core environment. * Shadow core. Apple could be implementing a Tegra-like solution with a simplified, slower core that powers up to take care of simple tasks like notifications. Only when the user is fully using the phone do the faster cores turn on. * big.LITTLE. This is kind of like the shadow core, except it's an actual ARM concept supported directly in their architecture and ISA. Since swift cores are custom, it would be a little different for apple, but it may still be possible for them to use two A7 cores (custom or not) to match their Swift cores for low power operation. It's also possible they've adapted a single A7 core into a shadow core. (*currently ARM's big.LITTLE concept requires the number of A7 cores to match the number of main cores, which is why there is an octa core Samsung Exynos part. Apple may or may not try to break from this restriction) * Custom circuitry. The redesigned A5 for the appleTV had a lot of custom analog circuitry. It's possible Apple could be going even more custom on the A7 design, which could cause a size increase. They could also be moving off component chips on chip to reduce the overall number of components on the board.
All that being said, I think the premise of the article is wrong. I think the logic board has gotten narrower. Notice how the A6 has room for a triple row of caps to its left? The new logic board only has room for a single row (caps being placed longways, granted). Also, the back of the iPhone 5 logic board has the Hynix memory module spanning the whole board. Now since the board is thinner, it's been forced to rotate 90 degrees to fit since it's longer than it is wide.
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, GameCube, Wii,...
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
Apple Vision Pro, Apple's $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On...
It was a big week for retro gaming fans, as iPhone users are starting to reap the rewards of Apple's recent change to allow retro game emulators on the App Store. This week also saw a new iOS 17.5 beta that will support web-based app distribution in the EU, the debut of the first hotels to allow for direct AirPlay streaming to room TVs, a fresh rumor about the impending iPad Air update, and...
Top Rated Comments
Add 128 GB, delete 16 GB, maintain current price points.
Must be my computer playing up. Restarting now...
Haha amazing to see how many people now seem to care about form over function when usually they're complaining about Apple doing the same thing. For me quick access to common settings and better multitasking > design of app icons.
Possibilities:
* Rogue family GPU. Die size is unknown for this family so it may well be a reason for increase.
* Quad core. Apple may have optimized iOS 7 and its APIs for a true quad core environment.
* Shadow core. Apple could be implementing a Tegra-like solution with a simplified, slower core that powers up to take care of simple tasks like notifications. Only when the user is fully using the phone do the faster cores turn on.
* big.LITTLE. This is kind of like the shadow core, except it's an actual ARM concept supported directly in their architecture and ISA. Since swift cores are custom, it would be a little different for apple, but it may still be possible for them to use two A7 cores (custom or not) to match their Swift cores for low power operation. It's also possible they've adapted a single A7 core into a shadow core. (*currently ARM's big.LITTLE concept requires the number of A7 cores to match the number of main cores, which is why there is an octa core Samsung Exynos part. Apple may or may not try to break from this restriction)
* Custom circuitry. The redesigned A5 for the appleTV had a lot of custom analog circuitry. It's possible Apple could be going even more custom on the A7 design, which could cause a size increase. They could also be moving off component chips on chip to reduce the overall number of components on the board.
All that being said, I think the premise of the article is wrong. I think the logic board has gotten narrower. Notice how the A6 has room for a triple row of caps to its left? The new logic board only has room for a single row (caps being placed longways, granted). Also, the back of the iPhone 5 logic board has the Hynix memory module spanning the whole board. Now since the board is thinner, it's been forced to rotate 90 degrees to fit since it's longer than it is wide.
We'll see I guess
Need more GB, instead of quad core.