What 64 bit means to iPhone 5s

Great article discussing the advantages of Apple’s new 64 bit OS:

How does 64-bit help Apple?

Here’s how going 64-bit makes sense for the iPhone 5S, and for Apple’s mobile devices going forward.

Memory: Mobile devices aren’t facing the 4GB barrier yet. (Game consoles weren’t either: the Playstation 4 and Xbox One will be the first to ship with more than 4GB of memory.) The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 currently has the most RAM in a mobile device, packing in 3GB pretty much just so Samsung can show off. In comparison, the iPhone 5 – along with the new iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S – sport only 1GB of RAM. The iPhone 4 and 4s have 512MB. One reason for that is that RAM has to be on all the time, consuming precious battery power. Right now, Apple does not need a 64-bit chip to handle memory.

However, the iPhone and iPad may reach or surpass the 4GB threshold in the next two or three years. If that happens, developers will have been building 64-bit iOS software for years by the time iPads, iPhones, and any other iDevices have require a 64-bit architecture. That’s a good way to ensure a seamless transition for customers. 

Speed: The iPhone 5S does get performance benefits from going 64-bit. Early results from iPhone 5S review units tested with Primate Labs’ Geekbench tool (nods to private sources, AnandTech and Daring Fireball) for measuring processor performance show:

  • The iPhone 5S 64-bit mode outperformed 32-bit mode by up to 25 percent. That means most apps will get a free performance boost just for recompiling to 64-bit.
  • The iPhone 5S processor is about twice as fast as the iPhone 5 in everything but memory access (that’s 1.4x faster).
  • The iPhone 5S about 25 percent faster than the iPhone 5 for everyday Web browsing (some Javascript tests are twice as fast as 5).

“Converting to 64-bit offers a performance improvement on the order of 10 to 20 percent,” said Kevin Krewell, senior editor of Microprocessor Report. ”The part that isn’t separable is that we have a new chip in the A7, and the A7 is much faster than the A6. Just the architecture of the chip has much better performance, in and above the change to 64-bit.”

iPhone 5S CPU Performance

The 64-bit A7 isn’t just a marketing stunt. It delivers real performance benefits for apps right now. Apple builds further on those benefits by converting all of iOS 7 to 64-bit for the iPhone 5S – and for any future 64-bit devices (cough iPad 5 cough) that come along. That means iOS 7 – along with core apps like Safari, Mail, Photos, Maps, and Siri – all wring the most benefits from 64-bit performance, and some of those components improve performance for third-party apps as well.

Fancy Features: The 64-bit architecture used in the A7 makes Apple’s new Touch ID fingerprint scanning technology possible, thanks to its encrypted on-chip security. Sure, a few smartphones have offered fingerprint readers (like the Motorola Atrix 4G) but no one has pushed the technology to the level Apple’s trying to achieve. Touch ID not only has a sophisticated biometric sensor, but Apple is integrating (optional) biometric security deep into its processor. That’s unprecedented. It also means Touch ID will never be available for 32-bit iOS devices – it’s a high-profile, front-and-center feature that’s 64-bit only. Assuming Touch ID survives countless attacks (from both security experts and hackers) and everyday users embrace it (early reviews are promising), expect the tech behind it, called Secure Enclave, to become central to the iOS experience. Coming next: Passbook and mobile payments.”

For more of the article read here: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/iphone-5s-64-bit-a7-processor/

Flash DOES work on iPhone and iPad!

I cannot stress this enough. It drives me crazy every time I see someone say this as I know that person is uninformed and is not working with these technologies because Flash DOES work on the iPhone and iPad.

You can create apps in Flash. They run very well. You do not need special software to run them. In fact, as a user you would never know your app was developed in Flash because you would get it in the app store. You probably even have iPhone or iPad apps on your device that were developed in Flash.

So where did this rumor come from? Flash does not work on the mobile browser. So people assume since it doesnt work on the browser it doesnt work on the device but that is very wrong.

Why would you develop an app in Flash instead of Xcode? Because that app can also run on Android. That means you develop one app that runs on both operating systems.

Want to build apps for iPhone and iPad? Start with Xcode

Once your purchase the license to develop for Apple ($99) you are ready to download Xcode, which is the program used to develop you Apple apps. Xcode is a development tool created by Apple. With Xcode you can create your app, test it with an emulator, and publish it to the iTunes app store (after extensive apple review of course).

How difficult is Xcode? If you are new to programming, its going to be very difficult. Xcode allows you to use C/C++ to program your app. In addition to knowing the language you need to understand Xcode interface as well as design for iPhone/iPhone, so it can get complicated very quickly. For the experience object oriented programmer, Xcode should not be too difficult to pick up. Overall, this software is not made for designers, rather experienced programmers.

Facebook releases Instagram clone for iPhone and iPad

Well this is kinda surprising. They just bought instagram and then release their own clone which they obviously have been working on for a while. The app is only available via iTunes so it is not available for Android yet, although I assume it will be very soon. But the question is, why did Facebook buy Instagram for 1 Billion if they were just going to release their own version anyway? Was it a copyright issue? I would doubt it considering there are 20 other Instagram clones in the market.

Anyway, here is a link to the app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/facebook-camera/id525898024?ls=1&mt=8

How to view Flash on your iPad and iPhone

Have you wanted to view Flash on an iPhone or iPad? Well now it is possible (well it always has been with a few workarounds). Apps are coming out that display Flash content, so rest assured, Flash does work on these devices.

One such app, iSwifter, is a browser that displays Flash content. You can try the browser for free for 10 days and it costs 4.99 to purchase. I tested it out and it works pretty well. I tested video, motion, sound, and interactions in flash and they all worked. I think anyone interested in viewing Flash on the iPad/iPhone should definitely invest in this app. It’s cheap, and it works.

You can download iSwifter from iTunes here

iPhone 4 Released

Well apple announced the iphone 4. It includes some very cool video features such as

video conferencing

a 5mp camera with 5x digital zoom (boo – we want optical zoom)

imovie app

netflix app

And All of these cool features come just in time for att wireless’s new pay as you go data plan. Yes thats right, everyone who buys the iPhone 4 will have to pay $15 for 200mb of data use, $24 for 2gb, and $10 for each gigabyte. So how easy is it to go over? Well considering one movie might be 500mb-1gb, 2-3 movies could put you right over your limit. Good job ATT – you have proven that your network is terrible. People who currently have their unlimited plans can keep them for now, but when their contract is up, they will be on the new plan. I honestly cant see anyone joining att now that data is not unlimited.

Apples June 2010 Announcement

So what are your predictions for apples big announcement in June?

Mine are….

iphone 4gs with video camera

faster/better att service

and the big one….iphone coming to verizon this fall!?! – who knows but speculation is out there. We do know that att had exclusive rights until 2012 but that contract might be null and void now. We will find out in the next 2-3 weeks. We do know that apple is working a cdma iphone that would work with verizon among other companies and that verizon is rumored to be launching an ad campaign for the iphone later this summer. however these are all rumors and verizon is currently pushing droid.

Apple Blocks Adobe’s Flash-to-iPhone Compiler in Latest SDK Agreement

Dear Apple,

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? Why are you blocking Adobe’s new conversion application for iphone and ipad? This could be a make or break for smartphones. If Adobe starts working with google or MS, I fear Apple will lose the smartphone war. While Apple is supporting HTML5, it is years away from replacing flash, if it ever does.

Link to article: http://www.macrumors.com/2010/04/08/apple-blocks-adobes-flash-to-iphone-compiler-in-latest-sdk-agreement/

Flash CS5: iPhone Support

Flash CS5 will have iphone support. Here is what adobe has to say:

– Flash will include a packager for the iphone
– the new flash apps cannot access the internet but will be stand alone packages
– files will have to be obtained through apple store

here is the info: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcs5/appsfor_iphone/