Why this Apple A10 chip rumor is likely false

“A report from The Electronic Times (via MacRumors) claims that contract chip manufacturer TSMC will be the sole manufacturer of Apple’s next generation applications processor known as the A10,” Ashraf Eassa writes for The Motley Fool. “This is something that I believe, having confirmed it with a source familiar with Apple’s plans back in October after Taiwan’s Commercial Times first broke the story.”

“Where I believe The Electronic Times gets it wrong is that it claims that the A10 will be manufactured on TSMC’s 10-nanometer chip manufacturing technology,” Eassa writes. “There is essentially zero chance that this is true.”

“According to a source familiar with Apple’s plans, the A10 will in fact be manufactured solely on the company’s 16-nanometer FinFET Plus technology, the very same that was used to manufacture a portion of the A9 processors that made it to the marketplace inside of the iPhone 6s/6s Plus,” Eassa writes. “Although Apple won’t enjoy the significant benefits that come with a new manufacturing process with the A10, the iDevice maker’s chip teams should still be able to deliver some very substantial performance and power improvements by way of design/architecture enhancements.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: As long as Samsung gets left out in the cold, TSMC could make ’em at 10 µm for all we care. 😉

Here, beleaguered Samsung, this’ll warm you up a bit:

SEE ALSO:
Beleaguered Samsung enters ‘State of Emergency’ as Apple picks TSMC to be sole A10 stamper – February 11, 2016
TSMC to be sole manufacturer of Apple A10 processor dealing blow to beleaguered Samsung – February 10, 2016
TSMC’s Apple A10 exclusivity damages beleaguered Samsung in myriad ways – December 10, 2015
Apple’s iPhone can soon reap 100 percent of world’s smartphone profits – November 17, 2015
Apple’s iPhone owns 94% of smartphone industry’s profits – November 16, 2015
Samsung stole trade secrets from TSMC to win Apple A9 stamping deal – August 26, 2015
Apple makes ‘last-minute decision’ to use TSMC to stamp out 30% of next-gen ‘A9’ chips – April 15, 2015
TSMC sues former ex-employee over leaking trade secrets to Samsung – February 9, 2015
TSMC says to invest additional $16 billion in advanced chip factory – February 6, 2015
Study: iPhone users are smarter and richer than those who settle for Android phones – January 22, 2015
iPhone users earn significantly more than those who settle for Android phones – October 8, 2014
Yet more proof that Android is for poor people – June 27, 2014
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IDC data shows two thirds of Android’s 81% smartphone share are cheap junk phones – November 13, 2013
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