The graphics chip processor that could be powering Apple"s 2012 versions of the iPhone and iPad devices has officially been announced. AppleInsider.com reports that Imagination Technologies has announced its new PowerVR Series6 mobile graphics processor. The product, which had the code name Rogue, already has six companies that will license the rights to use the new PowerVR product, including ST-Ericsson, Texas Instruments and MediaTek. However the other three licensed companies are currently secret.
The current generation of the PowerVR chip, the dual-core SGX543, is inside the A5 processor of the current iPad 2 tablet from Apple. Apple promoted the fact that the graphics capability of the iPad 2 was nine times that of the original iPad when it was first launched last April. The A5 processor and the PowerVR chip are also expected to be a part of the next version of Apple"s iPhone which most people believe Apple will launch sometime in September. The new PowerVR chip is supposed to be compatible with its previous PowerVR 5 chips which should allow for "a smooth migration path for developers upgrading applications," according to a statement from the company.
While Apple, naturally, has yet to confirm what kind of hardware and processors will be inside the 2012 versions of the iPad and iPhone it"s likely that the PowerVR Series6 chip will be involved in some way. As AppleInsider notes, Apple starting buying stock in PowerVR"s makers Imagination Technologies in 2008. Its current holdings in the company are now up to 9.5 percent.