Apple today didn’t introduce just a new product, but rather an entrance into the world of fabless semiconductors with their A4 CPU, which is not a CPU at all. Meet the A4.

During the GlobalFoundries event in Las Vegas, we spoke with Warren East, CEO of ARM. We discussed many trends in the industry and also learned about the new member of the family, which we can now reveal as the Apple Inc. This wasn’t as surprising, given the previous history between PA Semi and ARM [PA Semi founder Dan Dobberpuhl was a lead designer at Digital Equipment Corporation on Alpha and StrongARM processors].

Getting back to Apple A4, Steve Jobs incorrectly addressed Apple A4 as a CPU. We’re not sure was this to keep the mainstream press enthused, but A4 is not a CPU. Or we should say, it’s not just a CPU. Nor did PA Semi/Apple had anything to do with the creation of the CPU component.

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