Two new tech notes

I have just expanded the How a Computer Works series with two new pages:

1. Multi-tasking – how it works, and

2. What is an API?

Apple Metal Explained

Pedal to the Metal

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In my post to Seeking Alpha I wrote:

• The final sleeper feature with deep implications for Apple’s future is Metal.
• Metal is a new technology for writing graphics programs, particularly animations and games. It allows programmers to write code at a much lower level than previously, and this produces a real, up to 10x performance improvement.

Clearly the newest Apple hardware (iPhone, iPad,a nd possibly Apple TV box) will be getting upgraded processors (system on a chip or SoC), the A8. I wrote in detail on the current A7 in this post, and I also presented my speculations on the A8. While Apple’s creative design keeps them a step ahead in the processor race, because they control both the operating system (iOS) and the processor technology

• Apple is in a unique position to optimize system graphics performance

 

So what is it that they have done?