A5-Equipped iPhone 4s Sent To Developers In Anticipation of iPhone 5?

One of the strongest indicators yet (aside from logical deduction and its inclusion in the in the iOS 4 SDK) that iPhone 5 is going to come with Apple’s dual-core A5 central processing unit (CPU) chip is a report from 9To5Mac’s Mark Gurman who thinks Apple is fixing to put greater emphasis on gaming performance as a central marketing point for its next-generation smartphone.

Apple describes it’s A5 processor as a 1GHz, dual-core, custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip. It is manufactured to an Apple design by Samsung of Korea. More technically, The A5 incorporates a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore CPU and a dual-core PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphocs processing unit (GPU). Apple claims that the A5, which has 512 MB of on-board low-power DDR2 RAM clocked at 1066 MHz, is twice as powerful in terms of CPU performance and its GPU up to nine times powerful compared with the A4 chips used in the iPhone 4.

Mark Gurman observes that the A5 will support exponentially greater gaming horsepower thanks to that 9x improvement in GPU power compared with the iPhone 4, and that Apple has already seeded some iPhone 4s hot-rodded with A5 muscle “under the hood” to select developers involved with high-level gaming, one of whom has dubbed it the “iPhone 4S.”

However, Gurman emphasizes that this souped-up iPhone 4 is not “necessarily” the next-gen iPhone, but likely just top secret pre-production development prototypes cobbled together to help developers ready their wares for the iPhone 5 speed bump that reportedly are stored in safes on company premises when not in use.

Nevertheless, their very existence demonstrates that one avenue Apple could take on its iPhone evolution roadmap would be to come out with an actual iPhone 4S sometime between now and the fall with the A5 chip plus perhaps an 8 megapixel camera and some of the other upgrades that have been rumored for the iPhone 5 that would work with the iPhone 4 form factor, leaving the iPhone 5 designation for a much more radical change to be introduced during the first half of 2012.

Some frustrated fans would probably bridle at that approach, but it would address the immediate needs of folks faced with renewing their service contracts, providing them with a performance boost that should stay competitive for a couple more years at least while avoiding a rush to production for the iPhone 5 until the iPad 2 supply backlog clears and issues associated with the Japanese earthquake breach disasters are stabilized.

I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen, but just that it would be a viable alternative possibility.

Zurich-a! Rinspeed Indy 4S

Subtle always works. At Rinspeed, sometimes subtle simply isn't in the vocabulary. Other times, however, you'd think it's the only language spoken. This schizophrenic nature is what makes the company what it is. They're at home no matter what they're doing, whether it's creating a gonzo Cayenne-based pickup truck concept or putting together accessories for regular existing road cars.

The Indy 4S falls squarely in the latter category. As its name suggests, the Indy 4S program is based on the 997 Carrera 4 and 4S. Convertible? Hardtop? No matter. All the pieces work regardless of which body style you choose and which animal resides under the engine cover. Like the Cayman-based Imola we discussed earlier in the week, the Indy 4S gets improved downforce via a new front skirt, and continues the look all the way around with new side and rear treatments. The updated rear fascia is visually enhanced by a diffuser and Rinspeed's exhaust kit, which can be as simple as new tips or as comprehensive as a new system from the headers back.

The company's excellent-looking 20" five-spoke wheels return, and a choice of handling upgrades is available for both the standard suspension and the trick PASM setup. And finally, the interior can be customized with new leather, a range of steering wheels, and a full line of aluminum accessories.

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PRESS RELEASE:
Rinspeed Indy 4S - Porsche Tuner Rinspeed designs for the all wheel drive 911 (type 997) an exclusive optical package.

Carrera 4 or Carrera 4S, Coupe or Convertible: Rinspeed is offering its aerodynamic package Indy for immediate deliveries. The original front skirt is replaced by a complete Rinspeed front skirt which enhnaces the aerodynamic down force. Side skirts let the 997 appear lower and more dynamic. Additionally, a rear skirt with a difusor optic has been developed. The tuner also offers the well established aluminium wheel in the Design C5/1 in 20" for this model range. Wheels of 8.5 x 20" and tires of the maximal width of 245/30-20 can be fitted on the front axle where as the rear takes 11 x 20" wheels with tires of the dimension 305/25-20.

Apart of the aerodynamics package, Rinspeed also offers a wide exhaust program. The possibilities range from oval end pipes to a flow optimized sport exhausts to high performance exhaust systems which include headers, metal catalytic converters and rear mufflers.

Suspension wise Rinspeed opts for sporty lowering springs (approximately 25mm). Alternatively adjustable coil-over suspension kits can be ordered. Both sets are compatible with the original PASM system.

The interior is enhanced by full leather trims, airbag sport steering wheels, aluminum pedals, aluminum foot rests and shift knobs.