Report: 64-bit chip unlikely in iPhone 5S

Despite recent speculation, it’s unlikely that Apple’s iPhone 5S will actually contain a 64-bit chip, according to a new report. ARM Ltd’s first 64-bit mobile processor cores aren’t expected to appear in smartphones until 2014, and a shift from 32-bit to 64-bit architectures would only yield an 8 to 10 percent performance boost on its own, suggests ARM’s James Bruce. Bruce also said the industry will move to 64-bit mobile chips “over the next four years,” starting with the Cortex-A53, ARM’s first 64-bit mobile processor. The report concludes with the assumption that Apple is indeed pursuing and testing 64-bit chips, but such tests can’t be taken as definitive evidence that such a chip is forthcoming this year. [via Network World]