Who didnt see this coming? Apple leaves Samsung goes to TSMC for screens of its next gen iPhones. Its too late for iPhone 5 but iPhone 6 will be done by someone else. Apple may have just hit Samsung where it hurts as the two companies continue their ongoing legal battles over patents. Apple is the largest buyer of Samsung components. This turn of events will hurt Samsung but not anytime soon. Samsung owns numerous patents surrounding the chip’s design, including a patent that covers the processor’s the system design and memory packaging. Apple still needs Samsung and Samsung still needs Apple.
Samsung will not however build its next-generation A6 processor, Reuters reports. Instead TSMC has been contracted to build the chip. This is big loss for Samsung but I am thinking they are going to somehow use what they have learned in R&D of the chip in their own Galexy line of devices. TSMC on the other hand is the world’s largest contract microchip manufacturer. Rumor has it that they have already started test production of Apple’s A6 processor. As of now the A5 chip is expected to be included in Apple’s iPhone 5.