The idea behind a dual-core processor is how it can do two things at the same time, so all of your apps will now run more smoothly. It was because of the A5 Chip that Apple was able to improve graphics performance by up to 9x – it really does seem as the iPad 2 has been designed for gamers in mind.

Apple knew that they had to get the battery performance just right, some might have expected more than 10 hours, but we believe that this is an ideal trade-off, and still bests a number of rival tablets on/coming the market. There have been a few suggestions that Apple has only done enough with the specs of the 2nd generation iPad, but would you agree?

We would hate to side with Apple on this, but it is as if they cannot win. For some time we have been asking for a dual-core processor, improved graphics, slimmer design and two cameras – has Apple not delivered all of that to us? Yes they might have been able to give us more, but this is an evolution process. Can you remember this time last year when we were all making fun of the first iPad, we think 15 million units sold worldwide speaks for itself.

The A5 processor is not the first dual-core processor on the market, but it is the first time that one as powerful as this has been used in a tablet that will sell in the millions.

Is the A5 chip enough, or should Apple have done more to blow the competition out of the water?

Once you have the gift card you just have to download an application from Intel, this will then unlock certain features in the processor. The new program from Intel is called “down-the-wire hardware upgrades”.

Lawrence Latif from The Inquirer explains that for just $50 you can gain access to Hyperthreading or Level 2 cache. This will certainly have mixed reactions, but it is no secret that most users will not like the idea of having the true potential of their CPU locked.

The gift cards will only be used for low-end Intel processors, such as the Core i3 chip. Do you agree with this latest move, or do you think it is another way for Intel to make money by doing nothing?

The Bobcat from Advanced Micro Devices will be the CPU set to take on the Atom, and offers an advancement over the current AMD model. The company hopes that the new processor will make it more of a competitor in a market dominated by Intel.

The main selling point for the Bobcat is its power consumption, as it can run on less that one watt of power. This one feature alone will help increase battery life in current notebooks, although we are uncertain by how much.

The AMD Bulldozer will be the flagship processor aimed at the high-end consumer market. AMD has done a very clever thing by splitting the cores into 2, but still manages to share a number of the same components.

More details on both these CPUs can be found on Engadget.