Thursday Apple Rumors: iPhone 6 to Feature Quad-Core A8 Chip From TSMC

by Christopher Freeburn | March 6, 2014 12:46 pm

[1]Here are your Apple rumors[2] and AAPL news items for today:

Boost: A report from an Asian media source indicates that Apple’s (AAPL[3]) next-generation iPhone will feature an upgraded processor[4], the International Business Times notes. According to Taiwan’s Commercial Times, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM[5]) commenced production of a 64-bit quad-core A8 processor for the iPhone 6 in February using its 20-nanometer manufacturing process. Last year’s iPhone 5s featured a 64-bit A7 dual-core processor made with Samsung’s 28-nanometer technology. The report indicated that the iPhone 6 would feature a 4.7-inch screen and quad-core graphics and would be released during the third calendar quarter of this year. TSM is said to have won most of the chipset orders for the new iPhone. Another Taiwanese news website has said that TSMC will be the exclusive manufacturer of A8 chips. Apple has been moving to reduce its reliance on smartphone and tablet rival Samsung, which has also been one of its largest component supplies. Some recent reports indicate that Apple plans to introduce two models of the iPhone 6, one with a 4.7-inch screen and a second with a phablet-style 5.5-inch display.

Eye-Opener: iPad owners will soon see something new on their tablets: full-screen ads[6]. Apple will debut full-screen video ads through its iAd service later this year, AdAge notes. The full-screen ads will open without being triggered by clicking on a banner ad — a change from current settings. A source told AdAge that the full-screen video ads would be sold through Apple’s recently introduced ad exchange. Pricing for the full-screen video ads remains unknown. iAds was launched in 2010, has not been quite the hit Apple may have expected. Apple has trimmed iAd prices substantially since its launch. Adding full-screen video ads may be intended to boost iAd sales.

Quiet: When Apple unveiled its bid to bring iOS to automotive infotainment systems this week, one manufacturer was missing from the list of companies planning to participate[7], AppleInsider notes. Apple debuted CarPlay — earlier named iOS in the Car — at the Geneva International Motor Show. Among the manufacturers expected to adopt CarPlay are BMW, Ford (F[8]), General Motors (GM[9]), Honda (HMC[10]), Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Subaru, Suzuki, and Toyota (TM[11]). Not listed was Tesla Motors (TSLA[12]). Tesla’s omission is curious in light of reports that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has recently met with senior Apple executives at the iPhone-maker’s headquarters. Tesla declined to provide AppleInsider with a comment about CarPlay. Tesla’s silence could hint at a possible alliance between the electric car-maker and Apple-rival Google (GOOG[13]) or technical incompatibilities with Tesla’s infotainment system, which does not use the QNX software that CarPlay runs on.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[14] stories.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2014/03/thursday-apple-rumors-iphone-6-feature-quad-core-a8-chip-tsmc/

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