Intel Downplays ARM Architecture, Full iPhone Capabilities

Intel and ARM have played an important role in Apple’s products with both producing Chipsets and CPUs for Macs, iPods and iPhones. Despite a very close relationship between Apple and Intel, ARM was chosen to provide the processing technology behind the iPhone in spite of the upcoming Moorestown architecture. Intel has gone on to minimize the impact of ARM’s future products and promote their own brand of CPUs for Mobile Internet Devices and Phones.

This isn’t the first time Intel has publicly challenged other companies when they impede on the many market segments they cater too. Earlier this year Nvidia called out Intel for poor graphics performance from their Integrated Graphics Chipset which forced all video processing tasks onto the CPU with horrible 3D performance. Intel responded with further development for their Larrabee platform which combines a GPU onto the CPU die despite premonitions from Nvidia that common processors would be replaced by the much faster graphics processors found in today’s video cards.

While promoting their new Moorestown platform at the Taipei Developer Conference, they touted a full Internet experience on a mobile device which far surpassed the iPhone due to the technological differences in CPUs. Intel followed up with a lack of approval for ARM’s roadmap. Intel was quick to point out that the iPhone’s Software was not the reason for not delivering the full experience Intel is aiming for but rather the Chipset utilized by Apple from ARM. Despite Intel promising greater advantages in their mobile CPUs, they won’t be readily available until sometime in 2009. Apple has cemented ARM into their mobile products by buying out the company and receiving a specialized version of their CPUs.

It seems that Apple is dead set on not utilizing mobile Intel CPUs and Chipsets for the iPod and iPhone. Instead, Apple is shifting focus on using 3rd party designs to design for a single system on a chip that would tie together the Chipset, Graphics Processor and CPU on a single die. Apple’s purchase of P.A. Semi and a possible license of Imagination Technologie’s PowerVR Graphics Processor give further proof to Intel free pocketable devices.

Via: Apple Insider