a5

Editors' note: This article was originally published October 13. It has been updated throughout.

A teardown by iFixit and analysis by iSuppli, Chipworks and others reveal the iPhone 4S as a mini version of the iPad 2 in many respects.

Camera: A Sony CMOS sensor, according to Chipworks. Overall, camera is 8 megapixels, 60 percent more pixels than the camera on iPhone 4. A larger aperture (f/2.4) and new sensor. Better in low-light conditions. Video at 1080P, 30 fps.

Memory: The Apple A5 chip has 512MB of Samsung DDR2 RAM, according to iFixit's teardown. The capacity matches … Read more

Apple is shelling out about $200 to make each 32GB iPhone 4S, which the company will ultimately sell for $749, not counting the carrier subsidy.

At least that's the initial estimate from research firm UBM TechInsights.

Analyzing the overall cost history and the breakdown of each major component, UBM has calcuated a manufacturing cost of $203 for each 32GB model of the new phone. That's about the same range as Apple paid to make the iPhone 4 last year, giving the company around the same profit margin. This preliminary projection includes expenses of $26 for the new A5 … Read more

The headlines were flying fast and furious online, even before Apple's iPhone press event ended. With only an updated iPhone 4, called the 4S, and no iPhone 5, today's news was labeled a "big disappointment," and it was said that the iPhone 4S "disappoints Apple fans (and Wall Street)."

On Twitter and Facebook, comments included: "The S in iPhone 4S stands for Same," and even, "If I just tell myself it's an iPhone 5, I'll be happy with the iPhone 4S." That last comment caught my attention. It's author has stumbled onto the great untold truth from today's Apple news. If you look past the fact that this is essentially the same glass-and-metal case and 960x640-pixel display, it's an almost entirely new device, at least as different as the iPad 2 was from the original iPad.

The CPU? Different, moving up to a dual-core Apple A5. The camera? Upgraded from 5 megapixels to 8mp, and with video recording bumped from 720p to 1080p.

Perhaps as important, the hybrid GSM/CDMA architecture and improved antenna for what Apple claims will be 4G-like download speeds. (Of course, we'll believe this when we see it--an actual 4G iPhone would erase any doubt that this is an entirely new generation of iPhone). Finally, Apple says the iPhone 4S offers improved battery life with eight hours of talk time. … Read more

The iPhone today got an internal overhaul--its remarkably unchanged exterior notwithstanding.

Apple is "completely rethinking the inside" of the iPhone, according to Greg Joawiak, vice president of iPhone product marketing, who spoke in a video now up on Apple's Web site.

The biggest change is the dual-core A5 processor packing improved graphics silicon. "With two processors handling the workload, it really makes a big difference," Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of hardware, said in the same video.

"In Safari, Web pages will load up to twice as fast. Apps will run and launch faster...graphics can [load] up to seven times quicker, making game playing a lot better," Mansfield said.

If the A5-equipped iPad 2 is any indication, that second-generation Apple tablet showed big jumps in benchmark scores compared to the original iPad.

The other big change is the camera. In fact, the balance of statements by Apple today about internal changes were about the camera and optics. "We've increased the size of the aperture to let in more light," Mansfield said. "And added a fifth lens [resulting in] sharper images, more detail, more accurate color...and 1080p video at 30 frames per second."

Apple has also included a backside illumination sensor for increased sensitivity and a shorter exposure time to achieve the same scene brightness. "Colors are less saturated, and you'll see more details," Apple states on its iPhone 4S camera Web page. The camera also adds face detection and reduced motion blur.

And the A5 chip helps out here too. "The A5 chip is designed with an image signal processor that's just as good as the ones found in dSLR cameras," Apple claims. The image processor allows you to tap to focus and control exposure. And the A5's image processor also enables immediate photo capture (aka "zero shutter lag") when taking pictures.

And the camera also uses better algorithms in iOS 5 for more color accuracy, better white balance, and greater dynamic range. … Read more

Missed the big Apple announcement Tuesday? Re-live it with the Buzz crew as we recap the live feeds of Apple's iPhone presentation. Spoiler alert: there's no iPhone 5.

At today's Apple event, a new iPhone was announced. Surprise, surprise: the iPhone 4S is a modest upgrade, at least in terms of design. However, it shares a benefit with its larger iPad 2 cousin: significantly improved graphics.

It's no longer a secret or even an aspiration: the iPhone and iPod Touch are now the most popular gaming handhelds on the planet. The Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita are, at best, hopefuls trying to steal away Apple's newfound crown. So, how does Apple's latest iPhone hold up the mantle as the reigning gaming handheld du jour?

In short: by continuing to do what it does best.… Read more

The long-awaited new iPhone has reportedly popped up in Apple's inventory with signs indicating that it will be a major upgrade over the current iPhone 4.

As described by 9to5Mac and SlashGear, the phone uncovered in the inventory list is code-named N94, the same name hidden in code for Apple's iOS earlier this year. That code name was found to point to a device with a dual-core A5 processor, the same chip that's been expected to appear in the iPhone 5.

Citing information from its anonymous but apparently reliable Mr. X source, who is known for leaking … Read more

With Apple now on the record about an October 4 iPhone event, analysts are reaffirming their prognostications about the phone's hardware--and adding an item or two to a growing list of specifications.

Chris Whitmore, Deutsche Bank Equity Research, said in a research note Monday that he expects an iPhone 5 with aluminum unibody construction, better camera, and a slightly larger screen size. No big surprise there.

Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Rodman & Renshaw, said on Tuesday he expects better graphics silicon--not unlike the big performance increase that Apple boasted about for the iPad 2.

Piper Jaffray's Gene … Read more

Apple's iPhone 5 will include a whopping 1GB of RAM and a voice-control system known as the Assistant, according to the latest reports hopping onboard the iPhone rumor mill.

Word of these potential new features was apparently leaked to TUAW by an unnamed but "reliable source" last week. However, the tech news site said it was hesitant to publish the details without corroboration.

But yesterday 9to5Mac said it received the same information from a "source familiar with the SOC's manufacturing," which refers to the phone's expected A5 processor, or system-on-a-chip.

Based on details … Read more