Apple moving from Samsung to TSMC for A6X chip

[joyceanblue]

Taiwan's TSMC to make chips for Apple: reports

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co will soon start making microchips for Apple as the US tech giant reduces manufacturing contracts with its South Korean rival Samsung, reports said Wednesday.

http://www.france24.com/en/20130102-...-apple-reports

looks like the battle between samsung and apple is heating up.

[deathman20]

Like that wasn't expected.

[Sparky]

It would have been funny if Samsung had just cut them off instead

[Lanek]

Is it confirmed by TSMC or Samsung ? because right now, this is Samsung who produce the A6X ( and mainly have design them too ( contradictory of some early infos who was suggest the invert ) and It's a little bit strange
to see Apple got the possibility to move the actual A6x production who is allready running since months in Samsung Austin Texas Fab to an other Fab and other fabrication process.

If you tell me TSMC have been contracted for product the next "A7x" chips, i will be less suspicious about it..

Just for remind, this is the 20th times a site annonce it thoses last 2 years. Even when the Iphone5 and the last Ipad have been launched, some review was still ask them if this is TSMC or Samsung who was product the CPU and SOC.

Edit:
( Ok, If ew believe "Commercial Times ".. it look they have only contracted a "period of try" ( 4month )" with TSMC... and it seems, nobody knows if it concern cpu production or anything else ...
I believe some sites have extrapolate to "A6x Production" Samsung will still product the soc and micro processors used on Apple product, anyway for now )

[Dimitriman]

AMD and Nvidia wish apple good luck!

[Hornet331]

Well no problem for apple, if they also run in shortages they just jack up the prices and say the new iphone is even more exclusive then the last... people will still stand in line and pay the price.

[deathman20]

It would have been funny if Samsung had just cut them off instead

Oh very true, but why not milk the iApple for all its worth. Considering the damn lawsuits being thrown around.

[Andrew LB]

Oh very true, but why not milk the iApple for all its worth. Considering the damn lawsuits being thrown around.

Cutting off Apple from all chips would have been suicide for Samsung considering all the contracts they'd be in breach of. Massive price hikes would also have been illegal since i'm certain that's all part of the contract between the two companies.

because right now, this is Samsung who produce the A6X ( and mainly have design them too ( contradictory of some early infos who was suggest the invert ) and It's a little bit strange
to see Apple got the possibility to move the actual A6x production who is allready running since months in Samsung Austin Texas Fab to an other Fab and other fabrication process.

The A6 and A6x "swift" chips were both designed by Apple.

http://www.linleygroup.com/newslette...l.php?num=4881

[STEvil]

Samsung just doesnt care about apple really, if they wanted to "cut off apple" the could, same way as apple (and others) protects themselves from litigation by creating secondary/tertiary license/patent holders.

[Warboy]

Apple has no big changes to a product they make 400% profit on, They are just taking a A6 processor and adding a x onto it. More at 11.

[Andrew LB]

Apple has no big changes to a product they make 400% profit on, They are just taking a A6 processor and adding a x onto it. More at 11.

Umm... the iPhone 5 gets the A6, while the iPad gets the A6x. A6x is not only clocked higher, it has a much more powerful integrated quad core powerVR GPU than the iPhone 5's tri-core powerVR chip. It's 26% larger than the A6 as well.

edit: considering how much better the iPhone's build quality is than the competition, i wouldn't be surprised if they made less profit than the top Samsung phones.

And since when did "profit" become a bad thing?? It sounds like you're young and naive and believe everything your progressive teachers tell you at school. Without "profit" companies can't afford to hire employees, create new products, and pay the taxes that fund the lives of almost 50% of this country who don't pay federal income taxes and are ALWAYS the ones b*tching about the wealthy not paying their fair share and how corporations do nothing but exploit "the workers". Rofl. What a joke.

[sutyi]

Umm... the iPhone 5 gets the A6, while the iPad gets the A6x. A6x is not only clocked higher, it has a much more powerful integrated quad core powerVR GPU than the iPhone 5's tri-core powerVR chip. It's 26% larger than the A6 as well.

edit: considering how much better the iPhone's build quality is than the competition, i wouldn't be surprised if they made less profit than the top Samsung phones.

And since when did "profit" become a bad thing?? It sounds like you're young and naive and believe everything your progressive teachers tell you at school. Without "profit" companies can't afford to hire employees, create new products, and pay the taxes that fund the lives of almost 50% of this country who don't pay federal income taxes and are ALWAYS the ones b*tching about the wealthy not paying their fair share and how corporations do nothing but exploit "the workers". Rofl. What a joke.

Yeah... build quality... when the backlight bleeds on the display, or leaks out on the edges of the phone, or when the anodized coating comes from your brand new phone.

[lizardmech]

Umm... the iPhone 5 gets the A6, while the iPad gets the A6x. A6x is not only clocked higher, it has a much more powerful integrated quad core powerVR GPU than the iPhone 5's tri-core powerVR chip. It's 26% larger than the A6 as well.

edit: considering how much better the iPhone's build quality is than the competition, i wouldn't be surprised if they made less profit than the top Samsung phones.

And since when did "profit" become a bad thing?? It sounds like you're young and naive and believe everything your progressive teachers tell you at school. Without "profit" companies can't afford to hire employees, create new products, and pay the taxes that fund the lives of almost 50% of this country who don't pay federal income taxes and are ALWAYS the ones b*tching about the wealthy not paying their fair share and how corporations do nothing but exploit "the workers". Rofl. What a joke.

I'm pretty sure iPhones have consistently been the cheapest high end phone to manufacture the last few generaitions. I vaguely recall one of the recent ones costing around $210 per unit to build.

[Biznatch]

Umm... the iPhone 5 gets the A6, while the iPad gets the A6x. A6x is not only clocked higher, it has a much more powerful integrated quad core powerVR GPU than the iPhone 5's tri-core powerVR chip. It's 26% larger than the A6 as well.

edit: considering how much better the iPhone's build quality is than the competition, i wouldn't be surprised if they made less profit than the top Samsung phones.

And since when did "profit" become a bad thing?? It sounds like you're young and naive and believe everything your progressive teachers tell you at school. Without "profit" companies can't afford to hire employees, create new products, and pay the taxes that fund the lives of almost 50% of this country who don't pay federal income taxes and are ALWAYS the ones b*tching about the wealthy not paying their fair share and how corporations do nothing but exploit "the workers". Rofl. What a joke.

Not to turn this in to a political debate, but that 50% number the republicans like to throw around is such BS. Have you actually seen the breakdown of that 50%? All you need to do to get in that 50% with the rest of those moochers is to reduce your anual income to less than 25k, and you can be living large like them..... Maybe if the low/middle class incomes increased over the last few decades like they did for the top % this wouldn't be as much of a problem. Too bad I'm not rich and can't afford to hire a tax consultant to abuse the tax code (effed up by special interest groups/politicians), and pay less than people in a lower tax brackets... Gotta love 'murica.

Here's an article from a quick google search.
http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2011/...this-year?lite

[PatRaceTin]

will iphone/ipad line will refresh shorten than 1 yr? (like ipad3 > ipad4)

[Vinas]

Not to turn this in to a political debate,
http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2011/...this-year?lite

But, that's what you just did didn't you? Do you think that others will agree with you and not argue because they think you are correct? I'm willing to bet there are people that know better.

Now, back on topic.

Sammy wouldn't breach their contracts with Apple or elect to throw out several billion dollars just to prove a point. It's business after all, and that business pays for all of the ridiculous Apple lawsuits while still providing some profit to Samsung. They're just returning some of Apples money - think of it like a discount!

[tbone8ty]

wait a minute my taxes are going up? but im not rich?

[Fottemberg]

http://www.semiwiki.com/forum/conten...le-rumors.html