We have been hearing rumours about Apple Inc’s upcoming iPhone 6 for quite some time, but here comes the first reliable piece of information about the smartphone’s production.
The Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has finally started the production of the A8 chipsets that are going to power Apple’s upcoming devices including the iPhone 6.
So far, Samsung had been the largest supplier for Apple’s A-series chipsets but the Cupertino company struck a deal with TSMC mid-2013 and gave it the responsibility of producing the 64-bit A8 processors.
According to a report from Taiwan’s Commercial Times, the manufacturing of the chipsets was started last month only.
Apple faced supply issues with the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c because of low production of processors and displays. However, this time the company seems to have given an early thought to the problem. Starting the production of components early seems to be a good strategy to overcome supply issues.
The A8 is a quad-core 64-bit processor with quad-core graphics manufactured on a 20-nanometer process. The A8 powered Apple iPhone 6 is expected to be launched in the third quarter this year.
The iPhone 6 is rumoured be sporting an all new 4.7-inch screen with sapphire panel. The current iPhone’s use Retina display and the new sapphire display is going to be one of the key features of the new iPhone.
The A8 chipset, at present, is going to power only the iPhone 6, but with the time Apple might put the new SoC into its iPads to give them new performance boost.
