Last week's Apple event introduced a lot of new tech to Apple fans and smartphone users. We got info about the Apple Watch, a new Macbook and an Apple TV price change. Despite the plethora of information about these products, analysts are still looking for clues about the release of the next iPhone in fall 2015.
The latest rumors point to questions about the chip. Most analysts expect Apple to use either an A9 or A9X chip to power the phone. These chips would be a technical step up from the iPhone 6's A8 chips. However, who is going to make them? Early rumors revealed that the chips would be built by two different companies: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (TSMC) and South Korea's Samsung Electronics. However, here's the big question; which of the two companies will handle the majority of the chips?
Early reports pointed to Samsung.
"We believe TSMC will earn most of the A9 orders thanks to its superior yield ramp and manufacturing excellence in mass-production. We expect TSMC to earn all of Apple's A9X orders (for the next generation iPad) and most of the A9 (for the next generation of iPhone), aggregating to an allocation of over 70%," analysts from Daiwa Securities told Barrons.
Any remaining chip needs would be handled by Samsung.
This will be the second year that TSMC has handled the majority of Apple's chip needs, according to the International Business-Times. One must also wonder if Apple's decision is affected by how Samsung is selling a competitor phone that would take customers.
It's also worth noting that TSMC recently sued a former employee and accused them of leaking TSMC tech secrets to Samsung.
