May 23, 2013 - 04:00 PM EDT — AAPL: 442.14 (+0.786, +0.18%) | NASDAQ: 3498.965 (+33.722, +0.97%)

Report: Apple dumps Samsung for Unimicron in ARM flip-chip business

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 · 6:01 pm · 30 Comments

Chinese language China Times is reporting that that Apple has dumped Samsung’s SEMCO for its important flip-chip chip scale package for ARM chips to Taiwanese printed circuit board maker Unimicron Technology Corp.

Jack Purcher reports, “It’s another move by Apple to decrease its business with Samsung for slavishly copying their products.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take:

Categories: News

Tags: flip-chip, printed circuit board, samsung, SEMCO, Unimicron, Unimicron Tech, Unimicron Technology Corp.

Thank You for supporting MacDailyNews!

 Apple 13.3" MacBook Air dual-core Intel Core i7 2.0GHz, 8GB RAM, 512GB Flash Storage, Intel HD Graphics 4000, Mac OS X Lion (Z0ND-20GHZ8GB512) only $2,159.99
 Secret Sale Exclusive for MacMall Valued Customers Only
 Apple 15.4" MacBook Pro (with Retina display) quad-core Intel Core i7 2.3GHz/16GB RAM/256GB FS/IntelHD Graphics4000/OS X Lion (Z0MK-15-2.3-16-256RT) only $2,333.99
 Apple Blowouts: Up to $649 OFF on Last Gen Macs. Prices start at $1,999.99 w/ Free Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion & Free FedEx Overnight ends 02/08 6:15PM PST.
 Apple 13.3" MacBook Pro dual-core Intel Core i7 2.9GHz, 8GB RAM, 750GB 5400-rpm hard drive, Intel HD Graphics 4000, Ships with Mountain Lion (MD102LL/A) only $1,419.97

Comment Feed

30 Comments

snoop Dogg

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 6:08 pm · Reply

100% South Korean made Satellite have European components and imaging technology
- 3l3c7ro
  
  Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 10:53 pm · Reply
  
  I can’t believe that Snoop Dogg would even think of posting such a bunch of drivel like this that makes the US look so stupid when a guy like this is the spokesman.
  - Snoop Dogg
    
    Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 7:38 am · Reply
    
    What’s wrong with the video i posted, it shows how much of a liar the Koreans are and how this affects apple so badly. The Koreans deliberately unappreciated the Japanese friendship and olive branch, what kind of mentality is that ?
    - botvinnik
      
      Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 11:18 am · Reply
      
      good job, Snoop…just ignore 313, he has no grasp of history, he thinks Louis Armstrong was the first man on the moon. “The Satchmo Has Landed.”
      - Snoop Dogg
        
        Friday, December 28, 2012 - 12:46 pm · Reply
        
        Thanks, I figured out a while ago that 313 is loopy, common sense dont work for him
Dan Mac Man

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 6:29 pm · Reply

Great to see this move Abd future moves to be completely free of the indicted patent infringers!
- JebusR
  
  Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 8:20 pm · Reply
  
  Realistically how soon could they do this?
RT~Tang

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 6:57 pm · Reply

Please update MdN to 4″ iPhone 5
- The Other Steve
  
  Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 12:50 am · Reply
  
  And the option for bigger a font.
  It’s been years, this is very Adobe like.
  - Wingsy
    
    Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 6:33 am · Reply
    
    I’ll second that!
xil

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 7:32 pm · Reply

Slowly but surely, Samsung will regret their actions, one component at a time. One day, they will wake up and say, “Why aren’t we making as much money, ohhh, yeah, I remember now, Apple is a big fat mean-doo-doo-head.”

RIP SS.
- KRONOS
  
  Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 11:54 pm · Reply
  
  1000
  LOL!
mjmj666

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 8:01 pm · Reply

“its important flip-chip chip scale package for ARM chips”
What does that mean?
- botvinnik
  
  Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 11:06 am · Reply
  
  no one knows, Mj..it is one of the mysteries of life.
KarlV

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 8:46 pm · Reply

Too slow. Too slow.
Apple should really put that 120 billion to use. Apple should have made this move 2 years ago.
- DogGoneToo
  
  Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 10:26 pm · Reply
  
  It takes time to build the skill set, get the equipment to work to spec and the production capability to cope with the volume.
- Ralph M
  
  Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 10:44 pm · Reply
  
  I just returned from a two-week trip to China to review product sourcing and supply logistics for a client; it was my fifth trip to China in the past year for this client. So, I think I am fully qualified to say that comments like KarlV’s, and previous takes by MDN, that bemoan the speed at which Apple is weaning itself from Samsung are uninformed at best, and moronic at worst.
  
  People who think this took too long have no professional appreciation for what it takes to revise a logistics chain, especially at the immense scale at which Apple operates. Even if there were no contractual inhibitors (more on that in a second), switching semiconductor fab’ing takes years of prequalification, negotiation, tooling, validation and ramp-up. Regardless of what you imagine, I can tell you for a cold, hard fact that there are only a couple companies on Planet Earth that can meet Apple’s quality, quantity and schedule requirements for these components, and Samsung is first among them. That this switch is being made at all is a small miracle and a testimony to Apple’s supply chain genius.
  
  Furthermore, none of us know for sure what the contractual issues have been, but it is safe to say that Apple’s agreements for many components made by Samsung predate 2010, which is when Samsung began selling devices that were blatant rip-offs of the iPhone and iPad. Breaking these contracts early was probably not in Apple’s best interests.
  
  Finally, if you read between the lines in Apple’s annual report and other SEC filings, you can find billions of dollars in expenditures Apple has been making for several years in its supply chain – much of it in direct investments in component fabricators.
  
  In short, KarlV, your comments – and ones like it by others – are profoundly uninformed and really pretty stupid.
  - The Other Steve
    
    Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 12:55 am · Reply
    
    I agree – except for the stupid part. Anyone on the outside could make that mistake.
    - peterblood71
      
      Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 2:23 am · Reply
      
      No it’s pretty stupid all right. Even a layman could come to an easy uneducated guess this would not be easy and a time consuming process. I love it when these guys just throw it off the cuff like they were the first to think of it and think all you have to do is snap your fingers authoritatively to make it happen at a moment’s notice. Like just flipping a switch.
      - Road Warrior
        
        Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 11:44 am · Reply
        
        It can see that perhaps the original statement by KarlV is/was wishful thinking, impatience, lack of knowledge with the process, or some other parameter such as stupid.
        
        I can also see that perhaps the reply from Ralph M is/was wishful thinking, impatience, lack of knowledge with the process or some other parameter such as stupid. Furthermore I feel that Ralph M’s post reeks of that American arrogance that typically snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.
        
        Ralph M did a superb post personalizing his experience and adding insight into a complex and often convoluted integrated process then totally spoiled the whole post, at least in my opinion, by calling KarlV stupid.
        
        Ralph M would have done the world a much better service if he had added a touch of kindness at the end of his post, something like “I hope this information gives you some deeper insight into the process.”
silverhawk1

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 9:15 pm · Reply

Jack’s been reading MDN.
Prophet HUP

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 10:04 pm · Reply

The «Read more in the article here» link goes nowhere.
- 3l3c7ro
  
  Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 10:33 pm · Reply
  
  What do you expect? Striving for perfection on MDN? They aren’t quite up to Apple standards and frankly, I don’t think they care to even try. This is a very very common occurrence on this site.
  - botvinnik
    
    Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 10:47 pm · Reply
    
    Perhaps MDN will answer the prayers of us, the great unwashed, and permanently delete your account to spare us from your self-righteous, condescending horseshit.
    - 3l3c7ro
      
      Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 10:56 pm · Reply
      
      Of course you would have to step up to the plate and take a swing when you can barely express yourself without using foul language.
      - Snoop Dogg
        
        Friday, December 28, 2012 - 12:29 pm · Reply
        
        313, please take your sentimental issues elsewhere cause we don’t want them. Also have you taken the strong prescription drugs your doctor prescribed for your never ending mental issues?
        
        3l3c7ro
        
        Friday, December 28, 2012 - 3:29 pm · Reply
        
        Thank you for you kind words and concern for my health. I am not very familiar with the kind of drugs you are suggesting. How is it that you are so knowledgable?
    - JimTIV
      
      Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 11:16 pm · Reply
      
      Lol, well said
      - JimTIV
        
        Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 11:17 pm · Reply
        
        That was for botvinnik
    - Paul
      
      Thursday, December 27, 2012 - 9:37 am · Reply
      
      Yes please delete 313….
      
      Oh. Nevermind, he will come back as 314…
      
      Guess he;s been deleted 312 times before.