Apple has reportedly switched to a new chip supplier for the iPhone 6S – and the Samsung Galaxy S6 may be partly to blame.
According to analyst-in-the-know Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, Apple has made a last-minute switch to TSMC for the manufacturing of 30 percent of the next iPhone’s CPU orders.
Apparently, this is because one of its current chip-making partners, GlobalFoundries, hasn’t been able to produce the desired yield rate for the A9 chip.
But Apple’s move may be about more than just reducing supply uncertainties. Kuo believes that the success of the Samsung Galaxy S6 could also be playing a part.
GlobalFoundries is an established manufacturing partner of Samsung, and Apple apparently fears that increased production of the Samsung Galaxy S6’s custom 14-nanometer chip (owing to that smartphone’s higher-than-expected popularity) may pull orders away from Apple.
As relayed by AppleInsider, it’s also claimed that TSMC’s 16-nanometer FinFET Turbo design has impressed Apple with its performance and yield rate, making a switch more attractive.
Read More: Samsung Galaxy S6 vs iPhone 6
The iPhone 6S (which isn’t its official name) is expected to launch some time this September, following the pattern of previous Apple smartphone releases.
Previous ‘S’ devices have saved the real changes for their internal components, so expect to see an almost identical design to the iPhone 6, but with a much faster processor and an improved camera. There’s also talk that Apple could implement the Force Touch technology from the Apple Watch and new MacBook.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.