Hidden deep inside the latest iOS 5.1 beta is updated processing-core management software that supports both dual-core processing enabled by A5 iPhone and iPad chip as well as quad-core processing. The references to quad core iPhone and iPad chips show in a hidden panel that describes cores supported by iOS device hardware.
9to5Mac explained how the core 3 is reference to quad core:
The updated core-management software includes an option of “/cores/core .3,†A single core device would be limited to â€/cores/core.0,†and a dual-core device would come in at â€/cores/core.1.†A “core.2″ (which is not referenced in iOS code) would be a triple-core processor according to this labeling method. iOS 5.1 beta 2 now includes core.3, a seemingly quad-core chip from Apple. Below, you can view a comparison between the pre-iOS 5.1 beta iOS core management software and the iOS 5.1 beta version. The dual-core A5 chip, on the bottom, has the “core.1,†and the quad-core chip, on top, supporting iOS 5.1 beta is marked with the “core.3.â€
Since Apple is currently testing the third –generation iPad which is rumored to support quad core processors,it`s only natural to see references to quad core chips in the iOS 5.1. Apple started with a single core chip in 2010 moving on to dual-core in 2011.A quad core chip in 2012 would fit the pattern.
