TSMC Reportedly 'On Track' to Begin Volume Production of A14 Chips for iPhones Despite Pandemic
TSMC is "on track" to begin volume production of 5nm chips in April, despite "recent speculation" indicating that the foundry had been requested by Apple to defer production of A14 processors by one or two quarters, according to DigiTimes.
A paywalled preview of the report claims that TSMC's manufacturing lines remain fully booked for 5nm chips amid the current pandemic.
TSMC has been Apple's exclusive supplier of A-series chips since 2016, and its chips have gradually become smaller as it continues to refine its manufacturing process, benefitting performance, battery life, and thermal management on iPhones.
Apple plans to introduce four high-end iPhone 12 models with 5G support in the fall, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Due to the ongoing pandemic, however, there have been conflicting reports on exactly when Apple will unveil its latest iPhones.
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Top Rated Comments
The best way to make the economic mess caused by the pandemic much worse is for people to slam their wallets shut in some knee-jerk manner.
Those that have the money and want the product, by all means purchase...I know I'm going to buy my son a new phone for his graduation present.
Sales will be really low this year compared to 2019, I think Apple is quite aware of that. But even selling in lower volumes is better than skipping a new iPhone and don't sell anything at all. Maybe they'll postpone some features to 2021 to boost upgrades, but they made an agreement with Qualcomm for 5G to have it on the 2020 iPhone so I bet we'll see at least a 5G model this year.