As iPhone 6s owners freak out over whether their new smartphones might be saddled with a performance-deficient chip, an app that makes it easy to identify the type of chip inside the new smartphones mysteriously vanishes from the App Store.
It’s enough to get “Chipgate” conspiracy theorists churning, but the reality is a little less dark than all that.
Lirum Labs, the developer of the app that let iPhone owners quickly identify whether they had the good TSMC chip or the less-good Samsung version, has been talking to users on Twitter since the app disappeared, and it turns out that they pulled the tool due to some compatibility issues with newer hardware.
We took the app down from the App Store due to issues with latest devices and the latest iOS. Until we can deliver an update.
— Lirum Labs (@LirumLabs) October 8, 2015
While Lirum Labs’ decision to pull its app caused some people to assume Apple purged it from the App Store, Chipgate likely isn’t going away anytime soon. The Samsung chip reportedly drains batteries faster, runs hotter and lags the TSMC chip in key performance metrics.
As word gets out that some iPhone 6s units come with an anemic Samsung chip inside, Apple faces the very real possibility of a stampede of users wanting to exchange their phones.
Lirum says a brand-new version will be out in a few months. We’ve contacted the company for a comment and will update if we hear back.
All of this came about due to reports that some iPhone 6s phones have significantly worse battery lives than others. Apple outsourced development of the handset’s A9 processor to two manufacturers, TSMC and Samsung, and investigators discovered that the Samsung-built chips are causing the power drain. You can learn more of the details in YouTube user Austin Evans’ instructive video below.
Evan Killham is a freelance writer who lives in Nebraska and isn’t interested in football, so he has plenty of time to play and think about video games. He has written for Bitmob and GamesBeat and sometimes, he even goes outside. But not too often because he’s heard there are bees out there. Occasionally, companies send free units for review. Evan subscribes to Cult of Mac’s Reviews Policy and also does not keep the items he receives for possible coverage.
5 responses to “No, Apple didn’t purge ‘Chipgate’ app from App Store”
If this is all true what are the chances of Apple giving us a phone in return thats meant to have the better chip. After all how can they say “this is the best iphone we’ve made yet”…if your lucky? (to recieve an iPhone with an TSMC chip) lol.
One good thing about it does prove Samsung really are shit despite their chips are “making profit” (obv not their phones lol).
The only “issues” are (1) whether all iPhone 6s/6S+ phones meet the battery life “promised” in Apple’s marketing campaign, and (2) what users experience in “real world” use. Artificial test environments only prove demonstrates what happens in an isolated context.
But hysteria surrounding Apple, being what it is, will rise to the level of proving whatever the blog flamers WANT to prove.
If the phone does what you were promised, you have no ethical or legal claim against the vendor simply because someone else’s phone, of the same model and specs, varies from your own by exceeding limited elements of the performance metrics. If you buy two bananas from Whole Foods, and one ripens more quickly than another does not mean that you have a claim against Whole Foods because it doesn’t last as long; the proper metric is whether Whole Foods sold you a banana that was overly ripe when you purchased it.
Couldn’t of said it better myself, Jay. Now only one question remains.. Does it really meet the the promised battery life that Apple claims?
i have two i6s 64GB, i have and with GeekBench one shows 4:25 the other one shows 3:25, same samsung ap and fresh install in airplane mode
Apple paid them to take it down.