Apple supplier TSMC has secured orders for Apple-designed A14 SOCs destined for this year’s iPhones and is expected to start fabricating the chips in the second quarter, DigiTimes is reporting, citing industry sources.
TSMC has been working hard to miniaturize its fabrication process to 5 nanometers – down from 7 nanometer fabrication seen in the A12 and A13 – with the aim of securing orders for Apple’s processors in its iPhones for the fourth year running.
Previous successes in miniaturization have enabled the foundry to be Apple’s exclusive supplier of A-series chips, beginning with the A10 Fusion… Apple is expected to release five new iPhone models in 2020, including a so-called iPhone SE 2 with a 4.7-inch LCD display in the first half of 2020, followed by a higher-end all-OLED 5G lineup consisting of 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch models in the second half of the year.
MacDailyNews Take: Meanwhile, iPhone wannabe peddlers continue trying to catch up to Apple’s 7nm A12 launched in 2018.
When Apple begins to transition its low-end laptops to ARM processors, that is going to be really a major change. Intel is going to lose some business and I’m sure there will be other laptop manufacturers scrambling to get some competitive ARM processors to compete against Apple. I find it difficult to imagine Apple’s desktops using ARM processors but if they’re fast and thermal efficient, I won’t be looking back for Intel chips.
I think the specs of the SnapDragon 865 are supposed to be up there with the A14 but we won’t know for sure until the A14 is bench-marked.
I wish Apple could have gone into the ARM server business as ARM processors seem to be the future for servers. Due to their low power, it’s said ARM chips can help make some fairly dense server clusters.
I am with you except for the server part; Apple likely considers renting others’ servers a better deal.
“I’m sure there will be other laptop manufacturers scrambling to get some competitive ARM processors to compete against Apple.”
An ARM and an Intel system running Windows 10 and the same apps will tell the story. If ARM is better, Qualcomm is going to find itself with a LOT of new business. If it’s not compelling, they’ll stay on Intel. Other laptop manufacturers may even WANT to move to ARM, but regardless of the performance Apple realizes, since Windows 10 and it’s apps are going to be lacking for awhile, most laptop makers will stay on Intel where the support and money is.
Coincidentally, in 1927, Remington Rand Electronics was founded. Also, “Electronic television was first successfully demonstrated in San Francisco on Sept. 7, 1927. The system was designed by Philo Taylor Farnsworth, a 21-year-old inventor who had lived in a house without electricity until he was 14,” this, according to Wikipedia.
Wow. I remember when my customers in fabs were making chips with 5 micron line widths.
and when they figger out atomic beam deposition the picometer realm will come to fruition
The reason there’s no Mac model called “MacBook” right now is because that will be the first A-chip Mac. From the user’s perspective, it will look and feel like a Mac 🙂 It will be significantly smaller and lighter than MacBook Air, with great battery life.
Apple’s experience from the successful PowerPC to Intel transition will be valuable. Except this time, the prospects are longer term for having two types of Macs.