An Intel-based architecture is what the iPhone needs

Oct 22, 2008 14:43 GMT  ·  By

Intel vice president of mobility Shane Wall and colleague Pankaj Kedia don't mind trashing Apple's iPhone, according to an AppleInsider report. The duo explained that Apple's iPhone is dependent on old technology affecting the web browsing experience. In Wall's opinion, Intel's next-gen Moorestown platform is what Apple needs to replace the ARM processor with.

Intel can offer Apple a solution two to three years ahead of the current ARM processor found inside Apple's iPhone, says the company's president of mobility. "If you want to run full internet, you're going to have to run an Intel-based architecture," Wall told a gathering of engineers. He added that the "iPhone struggles" when tasked with running "any sort of application that requires any horse power," according to the report. Kedia chimed in stating that "the shortcomings of the iPhone are not because of Apple,” but rather because of “ARM".

While Apple touts the iPhone as a device that puts the whole Internet in your pocket, Wall argued that the iPhone had fallen short in quite a number of areas. Neither Wall, nor Kedia believe Apple will achieve "fast, full internet" any time soon, should its iPhone continue to rely on ARM-based solutions. "Even if they do have full capability, the performance will be so poor," Wall said. Kedia poured gas on the fire stating "I know what their roadmap is, I know where they're going and I'm not worried".

Last month, Wei-han Lien, the senior manager of Apple’s chip team and Linkedin user, accidentally revealed that Apple was busy working on its own iPhone processor. The advantage of having its own-developed processor soldered inside iPhone is that Apple can keep more aspects surrounding its elusive device under wraps. Revealing his position as the manager of the ARM CPU architecture team for iPhone, Lien confirmed many rumors regarding Apple's acquisition of low-power chip designer P.A. Semiconductor in April.