Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Samsung Rumored to Return to iPhone Chip Production in 2018
Samsung Electronics will return to producing chips for Apple in next year's iPhone lineup, according to a new report today by The Korea Herald. Before, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company held the sole supplier responsibility of providing Apple's A10 chip in the iPhone 7, as well as the A11 chip in the upcoming iPhone 8, but now today's report references a "crucial deal" made between Samsung Electronics co-CEO Kwon Oh-hyun and Apple during a visit to Cupertino last month.
According to the report, Samsung managed to close the deal because of the company's decision to purchase equipment solely intended for 7-nanometer chip fabrication for iPhone devices. This move, as well as using Samsung's "close ties on OLED," convinced Apple to reintroduce the supplier into the iPhone chip supply chain. Although details remain vague, The Korea Herald's sources said that Samsung would "share some parts" of the 2018 iPhone orders that have been previously monopolized by TSMC.
Now, Samsung is said to be preparing tests for its own chip processing machines, and next plans to "seek final approval from Apple for the chip production" for what will presumably be called the A12 chip. As the sole OLED supplier for the 2017 iPhone, Samsung Display's deal with Apple has placed the manufacturer with providing between 70 and 92 million OLED displays for the upcoming iPhone 8. Apple is predicted to shift to OLED-only iPhone production as soon as 2018 or 2019.
According to the report, Samsung managed to close the deal because of the company's decision to purchase equipment solely intended for 7-nanometer chip fabrication for iPhone devices. This move, as well as using Samsung's "close ties on OLED," convinced Apple to reintroduce the supplier into the iPhone chip supply chain. Although details remain vague, The Korea Herald's sources said that Samsung would "share some parts" of the 2018 iPhone orders that have been previously monopolized by TSMC.
According to news reports on July 18, Samsung recently purchased extreme ultra violet lithography machines, the most advanced chip manufacturing equipment, to produce seven-nanometer mobile processors solely for iPhone.In 2015, Apple dual-sourced the A9 chip from both TSMC and Samsung for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, leading to some blowback from consumers when battery tests were performed and saw the TSMC chips outperform those made by Samsung. To avoid that issue again, and thanks to TSMC's aggressive moves to adopt smaller and more energy efficient manufacturing processes, Apple chose the company as the sole supplier of the A10 and A11 chips.
“The CEO could persuade Apple’s top brass taking advantage of their close ties on OLED,” said an industry source. Samsung, the world’s largest mobile OLED maker with a whopping 95 percent market share, is the sole OLED supplier for the upcoming iPhone.
Now, Samsung is said to be preparing tests for its own chip processing machines, and next plans to "seek final approval from Apple for the chip production" for what will presumably be called the A12 chip. As the sole OLED supplier for the 2017 iPhone, Samsung Display's deal with Apple has placed the manufacturer with providing between 70 and 92 million OLED displays for the upcoming iPhone 8. Apple is predicted to shift to OLED-only iPhone production as soon as 2018 or 2019.
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[ 133 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
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27 months ago
*gasp*
You mean that, at the corporate level, they really don't care about our squabbles about "who is best"?
You mean that, at the corporate level, they really don't care about our squabbles about "who is best"?
27 months ago
I don't get the hatred for Samsung that Apple fanboys have. Apple has two suppliers for their critical items. Flash memory: Toshiba and Samsung, Screens LG & Samsung: Processor TSMC or Samsung. Get this, your iPhone could be rockin' a Samsung screen, a Samsung processor and running off Samsung memory. Sounds like a Samsung phone to me....
27 months ago
Samsung Rumored to [S]Return[/S] Come Crawling Back on it's Hands and Knees to iPhone Chip Production in 2018
Samsung just posted one of their best years ever. And that's with Apple only accounting for 5% of their total business
Samsung isn't crawling back to Apple. And Apple isn't crawling back to samsung.
Simply Put: Samsung is a world leader in multiple fields, that includes mobile chipsets, RAM, and displays. So if you're Apple, why wouldn't you go to the #1 leader in manufacturing / designing for these technologies if you want to use them
it's a net win for both Samsung and Apple. Apple gains access to some of the best screens, Chipsets and FABing in the world. Samsung gets business. Win Win
27 months ago
Samsung Rumored to [S]Return[/S] Come Crawling Back on it's Hands and Knees to iPhone Chip Production in 2018
Why would they be crawling back?Samsung makes chips Apple needs
Apple doesn't make chips
Who got the most to loose here?
27 months ago
Why would they be crawling back?
Samsung makes chips Apple needs
Apple doesn't make chips
Who got the most to loose here?
Samsung serves as a contract Fab for Apple. Similar to AMD and Global Foundries. Apple Designs their own Architecture at their Orlando R&D Facility. Samsung needs the orders to make a profit. :apple:
[doublepost=1500400889][/doublepost]
"or by buying the rights to the instruction set" how is that Apple's creation.
You need to research ARM, and Apple's A Series. You know nothing about what you comment on. :apple:
27 months ago
Oh dear, we're going to have another chip gate next year.
Actually I don't care, but I'm sure this forum and a lot of other sites will be full of complaints
Actually I don't care, but I'm sure this forum and a lot of other sites will be full of complaints
27 months ago
Just kidding
[doublepost=1500384669][/doublepost]
No, the components are developed by Apple. Samsung just has the tools to be able to create them in the quantity apple requires.
Also, diversification of component suppliers is beneficial to apple, but not so much to the consumer.
27 months ago
Samsung Rumored to [S]Return[/S] Come Crawling Back on it's Hands and Knees to iPhone Chip Production in 2018
Keep telling yourself that fella if it makes your feel better. Havnt Samsung just announced record quarterly profits? Doesn't seem like they have to go crawling anywhere.. as opposed to Apple, who if they want the 2nd best screens (after galaxy models) they have to go cap in hand to Samsung lol
27 months ago
As long as my iPhone is running like it should, I will care less which Manufacturer chip it have.
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