iPhone 5s 64-bit: a lot of marketing, but not that

Technology: Apple claims to be the first manufacturer to adopt a 64-bit architecture smartphone. The announcement, however, is primarily marketing and profits are less tangible yet. The first transition has a long-term interest.

Addressing the technical specifications of its products, especially the processor is not in Apple's habits. Yet this is what Phil Schiller fact, Mr. marketing firm, at the launch of the new iPhone 5s and 5c . 

The top model, the 5s, so A7 features a new 64-bit processor. This is the first smartphone on the market to migrate such ARM architecture. And Phil Schiller, the "benefits are enormous," with increased performance seriously, he still boasts. 

No transition to 64-bit will not happen in a day 

Naturally, Phil Schiller gives somewhat exaggerated . "The PC world has made its transition from 32-bit to 64-bit, and it took years [...] Today you will see Apple getting mobile computing from 32 to 64-bit in a day . "

Schiller is undeniably a bit hasty. The actual transition will take effect a little more time than that required for the announcement by Apple's 64-bit A7 processor. And as on the PC, this is the year that will count. 

And besides, the transition in the mobile world does not rise to the announcement of the new iPhone . Two years earlier, in 2011, ARM Holdings announced the ARMv8 64-bit instruction set , used by Apple for its new chip. Even before this announcement, research was needed. 

In addition, the transition to 64-bit is not limited to a material change. On the software side as it will take forward. And that will not happen in a day. Apple has already started at its mobile OS, iOS 7. 

4 GB of RAM even theoretical barrier 

Developers ecosystem now wear their applications. But they will at the same time support and evolve their software for 32-bit versions. Because the old iPhone, but the new iPhone 5c remain on this architecture.

But if Apple's communication around this technical aspect is dictated largely by marketing, the transition to 64-bit does not mean meaningless in the long term. As the company raised here especially the foundations of the 64-bit era of the iPhone. 

This transition has several advantages. The first: the ability to handle more than 4 GB of memory.Mobile, this barrier is not yet reached, nor desirable, especially for issues of cost, space and consumption. Increased needs of RAM, yes, but not right away. The Galaxy Note 3 with 3 GB of RAM thus acts as an exception.