VentureBeat reports that Apple's
Efficiency is key in mobile device design -- no one wants a highly capable device that dies after an hour of use. Look at the industry's history of best-sellers. Palm's
The trick is to make economically attractive, high-performance devices. Mobile phone makers such as Nokia
But now, Apple seems to think it can do better. Why shouldn't it? P.A. Semi has won acclaim from industry peers and the Defense Department as the chipmaking equivalent of the daring test pilots of the '50s -- a rebellious team pushing the envelope. They still are -- and now they have an equally adept leader. Mark Papermaster was once a top designer of chips based on IBM's
The pressure's on at Apple; the iTablet can't be just a plain, ordinary Tablet PC 2.0. This one has to be a paradigm-buster, a device with a multitouch color screen, lots of advanced software, and extra-long battery life.
In other words, Papermaster and his team have to channel their inner Chuck Yeager and break the power barrier. Anything less would be a failure.
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