We cannot understate the significance of Apple’s A4 processor. On some level this outshines the iPad itself in terms of what this means for Apple. Apple hasn’t architected a CPU since the late 80’s when just prior to the AIM Alliance (Apple, IBM, Motorola) Apple dabbled with a possible RISC chip direction internally.

The Apple A4 processor is assumed at this point to be a result of Apple’s acquisition of PA Semiconductor. We initially stated that we believed the iPad would use such a product prior to the iPad announcement today and reported above all that we could gather from the web earlier today.

Apple’s specs say the iPad can play back 10 hours of HD video on a single charge. http://www.apple.com/ipad/design/

This means at 1 GHz this new A4 processor is both powerful and energy efficient. Competitor processors out there include Qualcomm’s 1 Ghz Snapdragon processor that powers Google’s Nexus One phone as well as ARM’s Cortex processors. The latter can scale past 1 Ghz but starts at 600 MHz. The Snapdragon processor itself is based on an ARM core and is similar to a Cortex 8 core, based on a Wiki article. In all likelihood Apple’s A4 is also similar to a Cortex 8 core. But then again it could be very different, but how? We’ll just have to wait and see if we can learn that.