iPhone 3G S Already Disassembled

That sure didn't take long!  Before most of us even got our hands on an iPhone 3G S, the folks at RapidRepair.com already had one completely disassembled. The results of the tear down aren't really that surprising so far, except for the fact that the processor Apple is using, the previously rumored and now confirmed ARM Cortex A8, has been capped at a lower clock speed to conserve power.

"The S5PC100 adopts a 32-bit ARM Cortex A8 RISC microprocessor and a 64/32-bit internal bus architecture, and operates up to 833MHz."

According to AppleInsider, the maximum operating speed isn't the only thing Apple decided to forgo with its re-branded chip:

Samsung also notes that its chip sports a high definition multi format codec enabling higher resolution multimedia functions at low power consumption. Specifically, it states that the S5PC100 "features a built-in, 720p multi format codec (MFC) video Engine which ensures smooth 30fps video encoding and playblack at low power consumption, and supports three types of TV out interface (NTSC/PAL/HDMI)." Apple has thus far decided not to take advantage of these HD capabilities for video recording, as the iPhone 3G S video camera will only capture clips in VGA-quality.

Apparently Apple felt that reducing power consumption was more important than speed and HD capabilities. So, how do you feel about Apple's decision to cap the maximum speed of the iPhone 3G S?  Is it worth the extra battery power? RapidRepair.com also put together a nice comparison chart that they will be updating throughout the day.  We have included the most recent chart below.

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