Samsung reportedly grabs piece of Apple’s A9 chip pie

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Chips
Is it too early to start thinking about the iPhone 7? Not for Apple's suppliers it's not. Fabrizio Sciami/Flickr CC
Photo: Fabrizio Sciami/Flickr CC

Samsung will snap up the majority of the next generation iPhone A9 chip orders, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will manufacture the chips for the next iPad devices, according to a new report coming out of China.

This differs from the current iPhone 6 devices, where TSMC is reportedly responsible for producing the A8 chips thanks to a deal inked in 2013.

Although it was previously reported that the two companies were locked in a tussle to pick up the Apple orders, Samsung apparently beat out TSMC by quoting Apple lower prices for the 14nm FinFET process production. Samsung has upped its game to secure Apple orders following its posted dismal Q3 earnings, which were down a whopping 60 percent in operating profit from the same period in 2013.

Today’s report notes that TSMC will begin to tape-out 16nm FinFET process products for the new iPhone as early as this December. TSMC has invested heavily in the necessary equipment to build Apple’s next generation chips.

The next generation iPhone and iPads will likely land in September and October 2015, if previous years’ releases are anything to go by.

Is it wrong that I’m already kind of excited?

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