Apple Silicon MacBooks are only the first MacOS computers to roll with the company's own-designed processors. Tips from supply chain sources this week suggest Apple is hard at work on its first desktop computer processor as well. This could change the way MacOS computers work (and play). Will this change your plans to buy a new computer in the near future?
In an unprecedented move by one of the largest chipmakers in the world, a report suggests Intel's ordered work done by TSMC. Last week's Intel earnings call (July 23, 2020) had CEO Bob Swan mention they'd "invested in contingency plans to hedge against further schedule uncertainty," and that this could mean working with "somebody else's foundry" to manufacture hardware.
The US might be singling out Huawei in its spat with China but the world's second-biggest phone maker isn't the only one that is being affected by it. In light of the US Commerce Department's new trade rules, companies that export products or provide services to Huawei are now uncertain whether they will be able to keep the Chinese manufacturer as a lucrative customer. One of the biggest of those is semiconductor maker TSMC, though the Taiwan-based foundry seems not to be that worried even if it loses Huawei.
Apple's 5G iPhone plans include three models for 2020, all with 5G and all using a new, 5nm processor, insiders familiar with the Cupertino company's big plans for next year suggest. The smartphone maker has been widely expected to enter the 5G market in 2020, holding off from following Android OEMs in launching this year for reasons both tactical and practical.
Apple has given the green-light to production of its next-generation chip, insiders claim, set to power the 2019 iPhone range which will pack even more cameras than today. The Apple A13 will be the successor to the A12 Bionic, announced in 2018, which is found in the current iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.
Apple's 2020 iPhone could make a significant architecture change inside, adopting 5nm chips for the first time as the Cupertino firm refines its iOS platform. The current iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max use Apple's A12 Bionic processor, which is built on a 7 nanometer process.
Manufacturer TSMC sent a statement that outlined a chemical issue which will have an impact on production this quarter. TSMC suggested that they'd "discovered a shipment of chemical material used in the manufacturing process that deviated from the specification and will impact wafer yield." The report does not name Apple as a key partner in the site at which the chemical issue took place. Manufacturing at the specified plant currently generally focus on NVIDIA, MediaTek, and Huawei hardware components.
If this all sounds like deja vu, you might have been closely monitoring reports on iPhone X sales last year. Apple’s most daring iPhone, it has been reported as both failing and succeeding as far as sales go. This year’s iPhone XS, XS Max, and especially the XR are similarly getting conflicting reports, most of on the disappointing side of the scale. But while reports of Apple cutting back on production due to weaker than expected demand for the phones, two of its biggest suppliers seem to be proving otherwise.
Some of the biggest tech product companies in the world might be struggling with constrained supplies of processor chips in the weeks to come. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the largest chip manufacturer in the world, was revealed to have been hit with a computer virus on Friday, resulting in temporary closure of several production factories and disruption of operations.
Apple's efforts to commercialize MicroLED panels could hit stores from 2019, a new report claims, with the firm targeting displays for an upscale Apple Watch, AR glasses, and larger products like MacBooks. The new screen technology has distinct advantages over Apple's current LCD and OLED panels, including brighter screens, lower power consumption, and thinner assemblies.
Ever since Apple went into the business of making mobile processors for itself, it has adopted a sort of tick-tock rhythm like Intel. It announces a new AN process in a new iPhone to be followed by a new ANX chip for an iPad, specifically an iPad Pro. With the iPhone 8 and iPhone X running on a spanking new A11 Bionic processor, it’s expected that the next iPad Pro will have an A11X Bionic in turn. What wasn’t expected until now is just how powerful and how small it would be.
Foxconn chairman Terry Gou was tipped to host a visit from Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams in Taiwan later this week. Williams is reportedly visiting Taiwan for the 30th anniversary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), with an event taking place on October 23rd. It is likely Foxconn's assembly of the iPhone X and potential supply constraints will be on the table during the chat between the company executives.