# APL2298

> Apple SoC in iPod Touch (3rd Generation)

**Wikidata**: [Q33465361](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33465361)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/apl2298

## Summary
APL2298 is the Apple-designed system-on-chip (SoC) that powered the third-generation iPod Touch, released in September 2009. Built on Samsung’s 45 nm process, it integrates a single 600 MHz ARMv7 CPU core into a 41.6 mm² die and sits between the iPhone 3GS’s APL0298 and the later Apple A4 in Apple’s silicon lineage.

## Key Facts
- **Product identity**: Apple SoC model number APL2298, marketed inside the 3rd-generation iPod Touch.
- **Launch date**: September 2009 (manufacturing start time).
- **Manufacturing node**: 45 nm lithography by Samsung Group.
- **Die size**: 41.6 mm².
- **CPU**: 1 × ARMv7 core running at 600 MHz.
- **Chain position**: Follows APL0298 (iPhone 3GS) and is followed by Apple A4.
- **Series membership**: Classified as Apple Silicon and instance of “system on a chip.”
- **Image file**: S5L8922.jpg on Wikimedia Commons (same physical package).

## FAQs
### Q: Which device used the APL2298 chip?
A: Apple placed the APL2298 SoC exclusively in the third-generation iPod Touch, announced and shipped in September 2009.

### Q: How fast is the APL2298 processor?
A: The design contains one ARMv7-architecture core clocked at 600 MHz, doubling the raw clock of earlier Samsung-based Apple chips.

### Q: Is APL2298 the same as the Apple A4?
A: No—APL2298 is an older, single-core 45 nm SoC; Apple A4 arrived later, used a newer Cortex-A8 core, and first appeared in the iPhone 4.

## Why It Matters
APL2298 represents Apple’s last mobile SoC before the company pivoted to internally licensed Cortex-A8 derivatives starting with the A4. By keeping the same 45 nm Samsung process and ARMv7 instruction set that debuted in the iPhone 3GS, Apple delivered a performance boost to the iPod Touch line without redesigning the power envelope or app compatibility. The chip let developers target a consistent ARMv7 platform across iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3G, cementing iOS as a viable gaming handheld and prolonging the iPod’s relevance in the shadow of the iPhone. Its small 41.6 mm² die also kept unit costs low, helping Apple maintain healthy margins on the lower-priced iPod Touch while the company prepared its first fully custom CPU/GPU combo in the A4.

## Notable For
- Final Apple mobile SoC before the A-series branding began.
- First iPod Touch chip to adopt the same ARMv7 core introduced in iPhone 3GS, enabling unified app binaries.
- Manufactured on Samsung’s 45 nm node—one of the earliest consumer 45 nm ARM devices.
- Single-core 600 MHz design kept power draw low while doubling CPU frequency over prior iPod chips.
- Die area of 41.6 mm² was markedly smaller than later A4, illustrating Apple’s cost-optimization focus for iPod.

## Body
### Architecture and Block Diagram
APL2298 integrates CPU, GPU, memory controller, and I/O on one monolithic die. The CPU is a single ARMv7 core operating at 600 MHz. GPU details are not specified in the source material, but contemporaneous teardowns indicate a PowerVR SGX535 to match the iPhone 3GS.

### Manufacturing
Samsung fabricates the chip using a 45 nm CMOS process with nine copper layers. The 41.6 mm² footprint fits inside the iPod Touch’s compact logic board while leaving room for NAND flash and a lithium-polymer battery.

### Performance Context
With a 600 MHz clock, APL2298 delivered roughly twice the integer throughput of the 412 MHz ARM11 in the second-generation iPod Touch, yet maintained backward compatibility with ARMv6 code via iOS compilation flags.

### Position in Apple Silicon Roadmap
APL2298 carries the internal part number S5L8922, continuing Apple’s “S5L” naming. It is succeeded by the A4 (S5L8930), which moved to a Cortex-A8 core and a 64-bit memory bus, laying groundwork for the iPad and iPhone 4.

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