What you need to know
- TSMC is on track to begin production on the A14 processor.
- DigiTimes says that the manufacturing lines remain "fully booked" for manufacturing.
- Apple is expected to release four new iPhones in the fall of this year.
Apple has seen a number of disruptions and uncertainty surrounding its supply chain partners as the world fights against the coronavirus pandemic. Thankfully, it sounds like the supplier of the chips that power its flagship smartphone is still on track to bring Apple's newest processor to the iPhone 12 on time.
A new report by DigiTimes details that TSMC is still "on track" to mass-produce the A14 processor for the iPhone 12, Apple's next flagship smartphone that is projected to be released in the fall.
The company is apparently preparing to begin production of the 5nm chips next month, despite speculation that Apple had asked TSMC to delay production of the next-generation processor by one or two quarters. Manufacturing lines remain "fully booked", indicating that the company will be ramping up production of the new chips on time for a fall release.
TSMC has been manufacturing Apple's A-series processors since 2016 and has continually shrunken the processor to increase performance and battery life. While the 5nm processor is still set for production starting in April, the company has reportedly delayed installation of machinery that would allow it to start production of 3nm chips which could power a future iPhone after the iPhone 12.
Apple is expected to release four new high-end iPhones this fall, which are all expected to be powered by the A14 processor that TSMC is starting to begin production on.
Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.
