iOS 5.1 Beta Shows Support For Quad Core Chip, Could Be In iPad 3

In keeping with the news of the next iPad and other iDevices to soon come from Apple, digging into the iOS 5.1 beta code shows that there will in fact be support for quad core processors, something we can potentially see very soon.

Now, mobile quad core processors are nothing new to the industry. Quad core Android tablets are already on the market and quad core phones will soon be. While a quad core processor won’t be coming to the iPhone anytime soon, we can possibly see one coming to the iPad 3 or most definitely the iPad 4.

“Speed increases are an expected part of Apple’s iOS device hardware upgrades, but what Apple has up their sleeves for speed enhancements is typically up for debate. The first-generation iPad clocked around 1GHz with the single core A4 processor, and —a year later—Apple bumped the iPad’s chip to dual-core-speed with the A5 processor. While not quite confirming that a quad-core processor will power Apple’s third-generation iPad, we have obtained evidence that suggests Apple is currently working on quad-core iOS devices.”

Tech companies plan out products ahead of time so this is simply the case of them having it in the iOS source code ahead of time and ready for when the real thing is to be released.

“The implications of an iOS device with a quad-core processor are vast. A quad-core processor can help devices power very high-resolution displays (such as the rumored iPad 3 with a Retina Display), and even power very advanced software like a rumored Final Cut Pro for iOS.”