Apple’s brand spanking new iPhone 5S is built around the 64-bit A7 processor and optimized iOS 7 mobile operating system. Boom, done — Apple leads the 64-bit mobile transition. However, Samsung mobile chief J.K. Shin has popped up to say, ‘Hey, we’re cool, too.’
First off, it’s important to sweep aside the notion that Apple’s iPhone 5S and the transition to 64-bit mobile is just about marketing and offers no practical advantage — far from it.
The ability to access more RAM will definitely be necessary in the future, but it’s ARMv8’s 64-bit architecture that’ll start paying off immediately. Extra registers — tiny units of storage inside the processor — let the A7 crunch numbers more efficiently, improving performance significantly for tasks like encoding and decoding video … the new iPhone 5s will likely fly through iOS apps with an aplomb never seen before — The Verge
That said, the Korea Times is reporting that Samsung’s top mobile executive, J.K. Shin, has said that it’s high-end handsets will adopt 64-bit.
“Not in the shortest time,” Shin said. “But yes, our next smartphones will have 64-bit processing functionality.”
Why not tomorrow? Simply put, the Android operating system doesn’t support 64-bit and Google hasn’t laid out a timeline for the delivery of 64-bit.
64-bit Mobile: Durable Advantage?
For what it’s worth, Nathan Brookwood, research fellow at the consultancy firm Insight 64, says that Apple is “nine to twelve months ahead of any Android competition.”
How important an advantage 64-bit turns out to be remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Samsung has said they will follow or, if you prefer, copy Apple.
The more things change, the more they stay the same…
What’s your take?
Via All Things D