Samsung Manufacturing Issues Reportedly Overblown, May Split A8 Production with TSMC

Samsung may play a larger role in the production of Apple's next generation A8 processor than previously rumored, claims ZDNet Korea (via GforGames). According to the report, the Korean company has already signed a contract to produce the A8 processor at its Austin, Texas plant and is in the final stages of testing before mass production begins.

tsmc_samsung_logo
This latest information from an anonymous Samsung official contradicts an earlier report that said Samsung was struggling with poor yields of the A8 processor and could not meet Apple's demands. As a result, the bulk of A8 chip production was said to be shifting to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). These "manufacturing issues" were "exaggerated claims" says the Samsung source, stating that the company is ready to start mass production of the A8 in Q2 2014.

While Samsung and TSMC may be splitting A8 production however, the latter already appears to have a lead on the Korean manufacturer. A recent report from Taiwan's Commercial Times claims TSMC has started production of the next generation chip.

Samsung has been the exclusive manufacturer of Apple's A-series chips, but Apple has been looking to depend less on its rival by shifting some of its orders to TSMC. Apple reportedly struck a deal with TSMC in 2013 to start A-series chip production early in 2014.

Top Rated Comments

pgiguere1 Avatar
131 months ago
Hasn't that rumor pattern about Samsung stopping fabbing Apple SoCs been repeated for the last 3 years already?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DipDog3 Avatar
131 months ago
It seems that these days all the rumors we get are contradicting each other :)

Also known as, just making stuff up.
Obviously none of these so called reporters have any idea what is going on.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samcraig Avatar
131 months ago
Phew that was lucky, Samsung would've been toast if they were truly sidelined by their unwitting mentor. Who would they copy [cough], I mean draw inspiration from if they had been?

It's a full time job copying the competition and rerouting your R & D budget into marketing, to ram your products down consumers throats. Genius business tactic - cheaper to copy and pay for patent infringement in court than to spend on original R & D.

Samsung are the equivalent of those dodgy market places in south east asia where you can buy cheap knock offs of anything from Armani suits to televisions. When are the courts going to stop this? I guess there is a political and economic motivation behind allowing Samsung to get away with this consistently - other than last year's victory.


Please enlighten me how you can tell what a device is going to look like and how the OS will operate from just knowing or producing a chip that goes inside it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
triton100 Avatar
131 months ago
Phew that was lucky, Samsung would've been toast if they were truly sidelined by their unwitting mentor. Who would they copy [cough], I mean draw inspiration from if they had been?

It's a full time job copying the competition and rerouting your R & D budget into marketing, to ram your products down consumers throats. Genius business tactic - cheaper to copy and pay for patent infringement in court than to spend on original R & D.

Samsung are the equivalent of those dodgy market places in south east asia where you can buy cheap knock offs of anything from Armani suits to televisions. When are the courts going to stop this? I guess there is a political and economic motivation behind allowing Samsung to get away with this consistently - other than last year's victory.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FirstNTenderbit Avatar
131 months ago
Phew that was lucky, Samsung would've been toast if they were truly sidelined by their unwitting mentor. Who would they copy [cough], I mean draw inspiration from if they had been?

It's a full time job copying the competition and rerouting your R & D budget into marketing, to ram your products down consumers throats. Genius business tactic - cheaper to copy and pay for patent infringement in court than to spend on original R & D.

Samsung are the equivalent of those dodgy market places in south east asia where you can buy cheap knock offs of anything from Armani suits to televisions. When are the courts going to stop this? I guess there is a political and economic motivation behind allowing Samsung to get away with this consistently - other than last year's victory.

Congrats! This is an excellent example of spontaneously combustible material. Flame on.:o
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
typeadam Avatar
131 months ago
Phew that was lucky, Samsung would've been toast if they were truly sidelined by their unwitting mentor. Who would they copy [cough], I mean draw inspiration from if they had been?

It's a full time job copying the competition and rerouting your R & D budget into marketing, to ram your products down consumers throats. Genius business tactic - cheaper to copy and pay for patent infringement in court than to spend on original R & D.

Samsung are the equivalent of those dodgy market places in south east asia where you can buy cheap knock offs of anything from Armani suits to televisions. When are the courts going to stop this? I guess there is a political and economic motivation behind allowing Samsung to get away with this consistently - other than last year's victory.

You realize that Samsung doesn't only make phones, right? And that their phones are only a percentage of their business. Furthermore, Samsung has been accused of copying the software/UX/OS, not the hardware, AFAIK.
So I seriously doubt they would've been "toast."
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...