Originally Posted by
Winterfang Specifications. Greater hardware means more compatibility with ported Android and IOS apps.
a) Better Specifications don't mean greater hardware (see below) :(
b) Better specifications don't mean greater compatibility. More similar specifications might :(
c) Better cross platform app portability is primarily a software related problem, not hardware related. Better specifications are rather unimportant in that context. :(
Originally Posted by
1jaxstate1 Kinda a trick questions. Better specs normally lead to better performance.
This is a common misconception. Not because it is completely wrong, but because it is a far too simplistic view of computer technology.
An improved version would read: Better specs normally lead to better sales.
Example: The Tegra 3 SoC's CPU has five cores. The fifth core improves the spec-sheet, but is actually detrimental to performance. Why? Because the transistors comprising the fifth core would have benefited the consumer much more had they gone into making the other four cores more powerful. Instead, those transistors are wasted on a fifth core which deals solely with lightweight and low-power tasks. That exact same thing could easily have been achieved by under-clocking any one of the other four cores. nVidia claims the fifth core uses slightly less power than an under-clocked forth core, but the difference is negligible... it's all about the spec sheet.
Result: A compromised quad core CPU with a redundant fifth core in exchange for a flashier spec sheet (yay, five cores!). Unfortunately, nVidia had good reasons to prioritize spec-sheet optimization over actual hardware optimization. That is what we deserve for blindly following specs.
It is also important to understand that specs are only a theoretical representation of a devices performance potential. How close any device actually gets to achieving that potential is entirely dependent on software. Judging performance solely on the basis of hardware is like trying to judge a cars stability and traction based only on it's engine. Understandably, hardware manufacturers have no interest in helping consumers make more informed and better decisions (more work without any profit raising potential).
IMHO this is not a trick question.
The only thing that counts is the performance actually experienced by consumers in the apps they actually use.
That means we need to forget specs (almost worthless in my opinion) and focus on performance measurements made using actual apps and games (not benchmarking tools which are solely of academical interest).
