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It's to save the license fee. A76 cores are fast enough to brute force H.264.

True, but hardware support does wonders for power consumption. I'm blown away that I can watch 3 hours of h264 content on my flights and only 5% of my iPad battery is used. i.e. more factors to consider than simply whether it can/can't with brute force.

> I'm blown away that I can watch 3 hours of h264 content on my flights and only 5% of my iPad battery is used.

That sounds wild. Apple says iPad is rated for up to 10 hours of video playback [1]. The display alone should consume more than that.

1: https://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/specs/

No lyin'. I have an iPad Pro 12.9", 5th generation. I download content on Netflix, Prime, and to VLC prior to flights. During flights I have the iPad in airplane mode and use my AirPod Pros for audio. On my flights from California to Texas, ~3 hrs, I use somewhere between 5-8% battery life. Brightness is probably on the low side because the cabin is dim.

Airplane mode (turning off most of the wireless) seems to be a big factor as well.

I'm just as astonished as the next guy!

That depends on resolution and other factors.

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