In a bit of Silicon Alley schizophrenia, Apple is both suing Samsung in court and relying upon the South Korean chipmaker for the core of its upcoming iPhone 5 handset. Despite well-publicized flirtations with other chipmakers, the tech giant is tied to its rival — for now.
“They don’t have a choice,” an unnamed source tell CNET. “They can’t switch [from Samsung] at this stage.” The source also refused Monday’s report that Apple would move to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) as its chip supplier.
“TSMC has not perfected the advanced manufacturing processes needed to make an A5 for the iPhone and, maybe more importantly, it’s prohibitively difficult to jump to a different manufacturer for the same chip design,” the news site writes.
So, as the battle between Apple and Samsung continues in the courtroom, the two rivals are forced to work together. Certainly an awkward arrangement but one that likely will benefit consumers.
