Apple reportedly leaves Samsung for A6 production
Apple may drop Samsung and switch to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for the production of its next generation A6 chipset. The Cupertino Company is reportedly working with TSMC to move to a 28 nm ARM SoC in 2012. Rumors of this TSMC partnership surfaced earlier this year before Apple filed a trademark infringement suit against Samsung. Though the A4 and A5 are still being produced by Samsung, the Korean company may be out of the loop in future Apple hardware.
This move away from Samsung may have a deleterious effect on the Korean manufacturer as Apple is reportedly one of its biggest customers. Apple has secured LCD displays, chipsets and NAND flash memory from Samsung that are used in its iOS devices. If the impending legal battle between the two companies sours the relationship, Apple may be forced to turn to costlier options for its device components, and Samsung may lose one of its biggest customers.
