i think your No. of A15+Neon SIMD cores are off there by x2 Anton, but your not alone, there's much speculation around the web including counting the cpu and gfx cores together implied apple PR style to get the core count up for PR purposes only, to the [presumably two quad core chips sandwiched together] from one site so far

while its all speculation right now,and some time soon we will know for sure...
remember what we do know or can reasonably surmise based on MediaTek and its Initial customer ZTE's Markets (for use in a smartphone by Chinese telecommunications equipment and network provider ZTE, according to reports in Taiwan.)

so far we know that ARM designed the Cortex A15 to be up to 16 real cores from the start as 4x4 clusters [as in 4 real cores per cluster x4] per SOC over a fast CoreLink Cache Coherent Interconnect [they do a 1 Terabit/s version now].
http://www.arm.com/images..._CCN-504_system_large.png
http://www.arm.com/produc...ache-coherent-network.php

this octocore SOC if made was probably speced for ZTE's internal Asia markets to start with, and perhaps also made for inclusion into their Latest high-end ‘Nubia’ brand for the European markets where the massive ARM quad uptake is largest so far, for a potential May 2013 release.

ZTE have also been advertising the "100G WDM Heralds the Ultra-Broadband Era" in the Asia markets that already have gigs of bandwidth direct to the home, and they probably have several ARM SOC already inside their existing proprietary broadband home/industrial routing and related kit etc now, remember ARM say their also looking to have their V8 64bit cores used there too as well as the upcoming server markets plus several ARM OEM's OC.

http://www.multicorepacke...end-networking-equipment/
"multiple embedded processor vendors have announced plans for ARM-based solutions in this [networking and communications] high-end segment, including AppliedMicro (X-Gene), Cavium (Thunder), Freescale (Layerscape) and LSI (Axxia)."

so a real Cortex 8core/octocore A15+Neon SIMD fit's perfectly in line with these massive growing Asia and European markets.

remember this is not your old x86 marketplace where you pay lots of $$$ for a quad core/hex core/octo core, this is where your mass produced ARM Cortex octocore MediaTek etc can potentially be $20 a SOC in quantity.

and last but not least MediaTek or anyone else are not going to take any real market share way from the x86 low/middle end desktop by restricting their ARM Cortex cores to dual or even lower clocked quad core "appliances" when Intel are talking "many core" clusters [and do a high end Hex core]for a while now in their PR, and the many long time ARM vendors know it, presumably it's now a sign the gloves are off and its full steam ahead for the many Cortex OEM's Quad + octocore devices in 2013/14.