Comments on: Commentary: Papermaster not to set foot in Cupertino http://architosh.com/2008/10/commentary-papermaster-not-to-set-foot-in-cupertino/ architosh™ — the leading Internet magazine dedicated to Mac CAD and 3D professionals and students worldwide. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:09:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Anthony Frausto-Robledo http://architosh.com/2008/10/commentary-papermaster-not-to-set-foot-in-cupertino/comment-page-1/#comment-24 Anthony Frausto-Robledo Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:39:52 +0000 http://architosh.com/?p=992#comment-24 The link for the article above is here: http://rate.forbes.com/comments/CommentServlet?op=cpage&sourcename=story&StoryURI=2008/11/04/apple-iphone-chips-tech-intel-cx_bc_1104apple.html ARM's processor licenses are described here: http://www.arm.com/products/licensing/index.html The link for the article above is here:
http://rate.forbes.com/comments/CommentServlet?op=cpage&sourcename=story&StoryURI=2008/11/04/apple-iphone-chips-tech-intel-cx_bc_1104apple.html

ARM’s processor licenses are described here:
http://www.arm.com/products/licensing/index.html

]]> By: Anthony Frausto-Robledo http://architosh.com/2008/10/commentary-papermaster-not-to-set-foot-in-cupertino/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Anthony Frausto-Robledo Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:38:58 +0000 http://architosh.com/?p=992#comment-23 There have been several stories today regarding Apple's reported goals with the use of Mr. Mark Papermaster. He would likely lead iPhone and iPod engineering at the silicon level, leading the brilliant engineers from PA Semi and designing a custom ARM-based processor that competitors cannot easily emulate. This Forbes article is a good start. It fails to provide a key fact though....that PA Semi had a special type of ARM license that allowed it to create solely unique ARM designs utilizing ARM-based architectures and ARM patents. This ARM license is called an Architecture License and is described as being given to licensees who can develop their own CPU implementations compliant with ARM's Instruction Set Architecture. This is analogous to the license that AMD has with Intel. Basically then Apple can design-engineer wholly unique microprocessors which will execute the ARM ISA (instruction set architecture). Readers should be aware that Apple has already demonstrated that it can simultaneously develop and maintain OS code bases on multiple processor instruction set architectures -- most notably in x86 and PowerPC with Mac Universal. They also maintain the iPhone's OS X operating systems for ARM's ISA. There have been several stories today regarding Apple’s reported goals with the use of Mr. Mark Papermaster. He would likely lead iPhone and iPod engineering at the silicon level, leading the brilliant engineers from PA Semi and designing a custom ARM-based processor that competitors cannot easily emulate.

This Forbes article is a good start. It fails to provide a key fact though….that PA Semi had a special type of ARM license that allowed it to create solely unique ARM designs utilizing ARM-based architectures and ARM patents. This ARM license is called an Architecture License and is described as being given to licensees who can develop their own CPU implementations compliant with ARM’s Instruction Set Architecture. This is analogous to the license that AMD has with Intel.

Basically then Apple can design-engineer wholly unique microprocessors which will execute the ARM ISA (instruction set architecture). Readers should be aware that Apple has already demonstrated that it can simultaneously develop and maintain OS code bases on multiple processor instruction set architectures — most notably in x86 and PowerPC with Mac Universal. They also maintain the iPhone’s OS X operating systems for ARM’s ISA.

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