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iBoot screenshots leak the iPad 3's A6 processor (Rumor)

New screenshots from an internal Apple development tool appear to confirm that the iPad 3 will ship with a quad-core, A6 processor. Look for a media invitation in the next 2-3 weeks.
Written by Jason D. O'Grady, Contributor

BGR has posted screenshots purporting to be from Apple's internal iBoot diagnostic software running attached to an iPad 3.

The iPhone Dev-Team posted a short video of iBoot three year ago, describing it thusly:

This is the command line to talk to your iPhone’s “BIOS” of sorts. It decides what gets run (if it’s signed correctly) or not. Normally it’s very restrictive. Unless it’s been pwned.

Bear in mind that last bit and take the shots with a grain of salt. Still photos would be even simpler to fake.

If legit, the new shots confirm that previously known "J1" and "iPad3,1" code names, but more importantly they confirm previous rumors that the iPad 3 will ship with a rip-snortin, quad-core A6 processor.

The smoking gun is the second shot which outs the processor identifier as "DEVELOPMENT_ARM_S5L8945X"

iPad3,1 and iPad3,2 are believed to be two configurations of the iPad 3 — one with Wi-Fi only and one with Wi-Fi and GSM/CDMA/LTE for all carriers.

Apple processor model numbers:

  • A4 - S5L8930X
  • A5 - S5L8940X
  • A6 - S5L8945X

If recent rumors turn out to be accurate the iPad 3 will take a huge leap ahead of the competition:

  • Quad-core Apple A6 "S5L8945X" processor
  • Sharp-manufactured 1,536 x 2,048-pixel HD Retina Display with dual lightbar
  • 4G LTE support via GSM/CDMA/LTE combo chip
  • Twice the battery life of the iPad 2
  • Factories are said to be running 24 hours a day

It's worth noting that the original iPad launched on January 27, 2010 and the iPad 2 launched on March 2, 2011. If Apple keeps to its previous schedule, media invitations should be going out within the next two to three weeks.
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