While many pundits and consumers seem to have been impressed by the 64-bit A7 processor powering Apple's new iPhone 5s, rival chipmaker Qualcomm has labeled it a "marketing gimmick" and claims that it offers consumers "zero benefit."
The claim was made during an interview earlier this week by Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Qualcomm.
"I know there's a lot of noise because Apple did [64-bit] on their A7," said Chandrasekher. "I think they are doing a marketing gimmick. There's zero benefit a consumer gets from that."
"Predominantly... you need it for memory addressability beyond 4GB. That's it. You don't really need it for performance, and the kinds of applications that 64-bit get used in mostly are large, server-class applications," said Chandrasekher.
Technically this is not accurate since ARM's Cortex-A15 silicon 40-bit Large Physical Address Extensions that allows for the addressing of 1TB of RAM, although under this setup address space continues to be limited to 32-bit per process.
Chandrasekher did however concede that Qualcomm will eventually come out with a 64-bit processor because " OS guys will want it at some point in time."
Prior to his move to Qualcomm, Chandrasekher was a senior vice president at Intel, and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group.
Despite the 64-bit architecture, the iPhone 5s still only has 1GB of RAM. However, benchmarks tests show that Apple's A7 dual-core silicon is faster than the 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor powering the Samsung Galaxy S4 (which much be a double blow for Samsung since it manufactures the A7 for Apple), and holding its own against the 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 inside the Sony Xperia Z1.
Based on this alone, there seems to be more to the A7 than just marketing gimmicks.
Considering the iPhone 5S outperforms every other smartphone, including the brand new Note 3 which is a phablet, it's obvious that the 64 bit architecture makes a difference, considering the iPhone 5S is only dual-core with 1GB of ram.
Because of this logic, they had to do some damage control;
Quote:
When one of your biggest customers makes its new 64-bit mobile processor a huge focus as it unveils its next-generation flagship smartphone, calling that new processor nothing more than a “marketing gimmick” probably isn’t the best idea. Qualcomm finally realized that on Wednesday and it issued a retraction following comments made last week by its chief marketing officer Anand Chandrasekher.
“The comments made by Anand Chandrasekher, Qualcomm CMO, about 64-bit computing were inaccurate,” a Qualcomm spokesperson said in a statement delivered to BGR via email. “The mobile hardware and software ecosystem is already moving in the direction of 64-bit; and, the evolution to 64-bit brings desktop class capabilities and user experiences to mobile, as well as enabling mobile processors and software to run new classes of computing devices.”
Last week, Chandrasekher called Apple’s move to 64-bit architecture in the iPhone 5s’ A7 chipset a “marketing gimmick” during an interview. “There’s zero benefit a consumer gets from that,” the executive added.
Basically I think they are just butt-hurt that a dual core, 1GB phone can outperform all other smartphones without needing a quad-core or octa-core and 3GB of ram.
They just originally said it would offer no improvement and it was just a gimmick.
Now after the fact it's slayed the benchmarks scores with half the specs, they had to eat their words and backtrack.
They just originally said it would offer no improvement and it was just a gimmick.
Now after the fact it's slayed the benchmarks scores with half the specs, they had to eat their words and backtrack.
Oh okay...
I just be looking for flaws for me to start lawsuits!
I don't know, it's just strange :3
Being a "phablet" (aka just a bigger smartphone) doesn't change anything to performances, so that was a bit strange that you had to point out something that has nothing to do with the subject of the thread
Edit: Oh, I almost see it now. But still, it's just a bigger smartphone, "phablet" isn't even an official term
I don't know, it's just strange :3 Being a "phablet" (aka just a bigger smartphone) doesn't change anything to performances, so that was a bit strange that you had to point out something that has nothing to do with the subject of the thread
Edit: Oh, I almost see it now. But still, it's just a bigger smartphone, "phablet" isn't even an official term
After trading in my Note 2 for the 5S, I know this very well :3
Yeah I wasn't meaning it like "omg a phone that outperforms a bigger phone" I meant it to distinguish between smartphones and the Note 3.
It isn't? Idk, everyone's like "IT'S A PHABLET!!!" when I used to say they had a nice phone (before I got one).
I thought the Note series was a tablet series, and that the smaller Note just had phone capabilities like some 7" tablets. I dunno
Anybody with IT experience knows that 64 bit Architecture thing is a gimmick.
Unless you have a phone that has like 8GB's of RAM.
What?
The standard for 64 bit is 2GB. Recommend 4GB. But,
It's obvious that Apple has built their chip to make the most from the specs the iPhone has.
I mean it's outperforming every other phone, but has the same tech specs as the iPhone 5.
The only thing that changed was the chips architecture.
The minimum for 64 bit is 4GB. Recommend 8GB. But,
It's obvious that Apple has built their chip to make the most from the specs the iPhone has.
I mean it's outperforming every other phone, but has the same tech specs as the iPhone 5.
The only thing that changed was the chips architecture.
You can run 64bit with even 1GB of ram (as Apple have done). The recommended minimum though is 2GB for most OS' (excluding iOS obviously).. The recommended amount is 4GB. For optimal performance, 8GB+.
The standard for 64 bit is 2GB. Recommend 4GB. But,
NO.
Quote:
It's obvious that Apple has built their chip to make the most from the specs the iPhone has.
I mean it's outperforming every other phone, but has the same tech specs as the iPhone 5.
The only thing that changed was the chips architecture.
And the OS.
My dude, you are NOT going to see a difference in performance unless you actually start to put that architecture to work. which is anything > 4GB RAM.
All 64 bits arch mean is that it can use more memory. Thats it.
My dude, you are NOT going to see a difference in performance unless you actually start to put that architecture to work. which is anything > 4GB RAM.
All 64 bits arch mean is that it can use more memory. Thats it.
Then you would need to;
Explain how the 5S is faster than the 5 by almost double with the same 1GB of RAM and same dual-core specs.
Explain how 32 Bit phones with double, triple and quadruple the cores and 3 times the RAM can't match the 64 bit phone that apparently "shouldn't see any performance difference".
You can say what you like about how it "should" work, and so can I. But considering the fact listed above, the 64 bit MUST be doing something even with 1GB of ram. Because the specs haven't changed between the iPhone 5 & 5S except the chip architecture.
We can say, you won't see a difference with just 1GB. But we have. That's the point.
They just originally said it would offer no improvement and it was just a gimmick.
Now after the fact it's slayed the benchmarks scores with half the specs, they had to eat their words and backtrack.
The iPhone 5s being a 64-bit is similar to a laptop with a 64-bit processor but with only 2GB of RAM. The performance gain you see on benchmarks are mainly due to software optimisation and not all because of the 64-bit chip working in its full potential. And you can't really compare apples to oranges though. The iPhone 5s has twice less the resolution than its 1080p-touting Android counterparts couple that with a restrictive OS so it will always be a BIT faster. When the iPhone starts adding more features and enables full multitasking it will lag like all Android phones.
Explain how the 5S is faster than the 5 by almost double with the same 1GB of RAM and same dual-core specs.
Explain how 32 Bit phones with double, triple and quadruple the cores and 3 times the RAM can't match the 64 bit phone that apparently "shouldn't see any performance difference".
You can say what you like about how it "should" work, and so can I. But considering the fact listed above, the 64 bit MUST be doing something even with 1GB of ram. Because the specs haven't changed between the iPhone 5 & 5S except the chip architecture.
We can say, you won't see a difference with just 1GB. But we have. That's the point.
2 Things:
1. You are aware that benchmarks are literally microseconds, right? You never notice the difference.
2. It's a brand new OS, and iOS has always been known as minimalistic and empty, thus it will need less RAM to operate. What exactly is really resource intensive on the iOS, that it would need 2 cores? There's levels to this.
A machine that is 64 bit doesnt directly mean your stuff could run faster, it just means you could run more stuff simultaneously. and that can only be noticed when you actually put it to use (i.e. use more than 4GB of RAM) and since iOS dosent have true multitasking, that can play a factor as well.
The iPhone 5s being a 64-bit is similar to a laptop with a 64-bit processor but with only 2GB of RAM. The performance gain you see on benchmarks are mainly due to software optimisation and not all because of the 64-bit chip working in its full potential. And you can't really compare apples to oranges though. The iPhone 5s has twice less the resolution than its 1080p-touting Android counterparts couple that with a restrictive OS so it will always be a BIT faster. When the iPhone starts adding more features and enables full multitasking it will lag like all Android phones.
The S4 active doesn't have a screen as good as the S4, but isn't as faster than the S4 at all.
It's not so much about the multitasking. Android OS lags, sure. But it's apps don't.
iOS doesn't lag as much as Android, but the OS isn't really important.
The 5S is able to accumulate the information needed for apps faster than 32 bit phones. Which is demonstrated in the clip above with the 5S vs. the S4.
1. You are aware that benchmarks are literally microseconds, right? You never notice the difference.
2. It's a brand new OS, and iOS has always been known as minimalistic and empty, thus it will need less RAM to operate. What exactly is really resource intensive on the iOS, that it would need 2 cores? There's levels to this.
A machine that is 64 bit doesnt directly mean your stuff could run faster, it just means you could run more stuff simultaneously. and that can only be noticed when you actually put it to use (i.e. use more than 4GB of RAM) and since iOS dosent have true multitasking, that can play a factor as well.
You may not notice the difference using benchmarks, but considering that apps on my 5S open straight away compared to the quad core Note 2 that I used to have, there is a difference. I also rarely have loading times in games as long, nor do I have apps freezing. Even Facebook that used to be slow as hell on both iOS & Android is really fast on my 5S.
The video above is pretty much the difference I had between the 5S and Note 2.
iOS may be "empty" but information accumulates faster on the 5S regarding apps and features.
Also, people who Jailbreak their iOS devices, like myself, experience no slow down by adding extra features to the "empty OS".
Lastly, even though my iPad didn't use "true multitasking" I would have to close all my apps and sometimes reset my device so that apps like Asphalt 7 wouldn't crash when it came to the loading screens.
I know how 64 bit works, but it's obvious that Apple have designed the phone very carefully.
iOS isn't as intensive as Android BUT the iPhone 5 is half the speed than the iPhone 5S. Forgetting other phones completely, the iPhone 5 has the same ram and the same core. Yet the 5S is twice as fast as the 5 and the 5C (this isn't noticeable in the OS' features, but when loading apps and waiting for the apps to process demands I've seen the difference).
I just think Apple made 64 bit work without using memory. It sounds stupid, but that's all that makes sense really when you compare even Apple's own devices.
They might have done more with 4GB, but they have managed to make the superior phone with 1GB. And most likely, the new iPad will also use the A7 chip as well.
“The comments made by Anand Chandrasekher, Qualcomm CMO, about 64-bit computing were inaccurate,” said a Qualcomm spokesperson in an email. “The mobile hardware and software ecosystem is already moving in the direction of 64-bit; and, the evolution to 64-bit brings desktop class capabilities and user experiences to mobile, as well as enabling mobile processors and software to run new classes of computing devices.”
