Archive for May 10th, 2011
iPad 2 would have bested 1990s-era supercomputers
Dr. Jack Dongarra, who teaches at the University of Tennessee, is the keeper of the Top 500 list of the fastest supercomputers and also one of the authors of the Linpack computing benchmark, introduced way back in 1979. Dongarra's group decided to check performance iPad 2 having ported Linpack on the device. Tests on the iPad 2 have so far only been run on a single core of the A5 processor, but Dongarra estimates that a dual-core Linpack run will yield performance of between 1.5 and 1.65 gigaflops -- that's up to 1.65 billion floating-point operations per second. That raw performance means that the iPad 2 would have remained on the list of the world's speediest supercomputers until about 1994. The iPad 2, of course, is a 21st century device, but it is amazing that the single-processor iPad 2 has results of the four-processor version of the Cray 2 supercomputer (pictured). Perhaps, in 20 years or less, the power of modern supercomputers could be n an iPhone.
Queen Of England Demands An iPad
The Queen Elizabeth II asked her staff to buy her an iPad. She saw the device then the newly married Prince Will and his brother Prince Harry showed off theirs to her on a recent gathering at Buckingham Palace. The Queen of England was impressed “how easy it was to use, the large screen and how light it was”.
The Queen has a mobile phone as well as the iPods, so an iPad is the logical progression. She thinks it will be great to keep her entertained on all the long trips she has to make.
Apple's New Data Center Focus of Nuance Voice Recognition Partnership
Last week we reported that Apple is in talks with voice recognition firm Nuance Communications. The scope of the deal is some sort partnership linked to rumors that Apple is integrating significant voice capabilities into iOS 5. As was reported previously, Nuance is a leader in voice recognition technology and holds a number of key patents in the field. TechCrunch now reports that the deal relates to utilizing Nuance's technology in Apple’s new North Carolina data center to drive centrally-hosted voice services. The partnership is said to likely be introduced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) early next month.
Apple Named World's Most Valuable Brand at $153 Billion
Marketing and advertising group WPP conducted its annual study of global brands and placed Apple at the top of the list of the most valuable brands for the first time. Brand values are calculated using an analysis of financial and market data alongside reports from analysts and surveys of over two million consumers around the globe. Apple checks in with a brand value of over $153 billion, up 84% over last year and well ahead of second-place Google, which had topped the survey for the previous four years, at $111 billion.