Apple was predicted to unveil the third-generation AirPods during its iPhone 13 reveal, but that hasn't happened. Industry sources claim the earbuds have now entered mass production, but does it mean that AirPods 3 could be launching in the next few weeks?
Apple Watch Series 7 mass production should start following the iPhone 13 unveiling as suppliers have resolved manufacturing challenges caused by the device's updated design.
You may be able to buy an Apple Watch Series 7 from day one after all. Apple's suppliers have now resolved production snags and are reportedly starting volume production by month-end.
Apple Watch Series 7 won't have a blood-pressure sensor, Bloomberg claims, although that doesn't mean that a future model won't include it. Also, expect launch availability issues.
Apple's upcoming 2022 iPad Pro models will use chips built on TSMC's cutting-edge three-nanometer manufacturing process, resulting in a speed boost and lower power consumption.
Apple suppliers Samsung and LG Display have reportedly kicked off production of OLED panels for the upcoming iPhone 13 family, with Samsung focused on the 120Hz ProMotion screens.
Demand for Apple's AirPods audio accessories is reportedly falling, with Apple sitting on excess inventory as cheaper brands have offered more affordable alternatives.
Apple's next-generation silicon for Macs, dubbed the M2, has reportedly entered mass production ahead of additional Apple silicon Mac hardware introductions expected in late 2021.
The world's leading semiconductor foundry has issued a warning predicting that the global chip shortage that's hurting technology companies the most won't be resolved anytime soon.
Photographs recently shared on Twitter show a fun little production mistake with one of the iPhone 11 Pro units exhibiting a misaligned Apple logo on the back of the device.
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Images show an iPhone with a misaligned Apple logo. This is said to be an extremely rare misprint. It could be rarer than one in a million. Surprise, production mistakes do happenShared by Internal Archive on Twitter, the images show a single iPhone 11 Pro unit with an Apple logo on the back of the device at an angle rather than being centered. That's not the only production mistake because the logo is also too close to the right edge of the device.
This imprint is said to be extremely rare, the poster notes.
https://twitter.com/ArchiveInternal/status/1380511781131550722
“I'd say one in a million or possibly even rarer,” they wrote. That's certainly a curious error to occur during production. When manufacturing issues with Apple gadgets do happen, they usually affect a certain batch of units made between very specific dates, not a single unit.
The original owner who bought the phone at an Apple Store was smart enough to keep it because the one-off mistake didn't stop someone from purchasing the unit for $2,700.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is addressing a chip shortage plaguing the global semiconductor industry by increasing its planned investment in expanding production capacity to a whopping $100 billion, a major financial commitment.
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$100B expenditure over the next year to boost output. TSMC's been running at 100% capacity over the last year. It previously planned to spend $28B in 2021 alone. TSMC also builds chips for Nvidia, Qualcomm and others. A staggering financial commitmentTSMC already planned a record capital expenditure of $28 billion in 2021 alone, but that was before the pandemic and stay-at-home measures boosted demand for electronics significantly.
Bloomberg has TSMC's statement acknowledging the massive capital expenditure:
In order to keep up with demand, TSMC expects to invest $100 billion over the next three years to increase capacity to support the manufacturing and research and development of advanced semiconductor technologies. TSMC is working closely with our customers to address their needs in a sustainable manner.
CEO C.C. Wei told customers that TSMC's fabrication facilities have been “running at over hundred percent utilization over the past twelve months.” Still, demand outpaced supply and not even hiring thousands of additional engineers and having multiple new fabrication facilities under construction could change that, he wrote recently in a letter to customers.
TSMC is entering a period of higher growth as the multiyear megatrends of 5G and HPC are expected to fuel strong demand for our semiconductor technologies in the next several years.
TSMC's investment should be good news for Apple.
Global chip shortages snarl electronicsApple has relied on TSMC's foundry service for years now—According to a recent supply chain report, Apple has already booked the initial production capacity of TSMC's four-nanometre chips for its next-generation Macs.
Demand for semiconductors of all stripes, buoyed by the pandemic, has caused a major global chip shortage which has, in turn, snarled everything from smartphones and tablets to cars.
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The world's biggest independent semiconductor foundry, TSMC was awarded an Apple contract following legal disputes between the Cupertino firm and Samsung over the iPhone's look and feel. Aside from Apple, TSMC counts as its customers many of the leading fabless semiconductor companies like Nvidia, Qualcomm, AMD, Broadcom, Marvell and MediaTek.
A semiconductor foundry is basically a producer of chips designed by others.
Meanwhile, Intel will pour $20 billion into two new domestic factories in Arizona to compete with TSMC as it plans to build chips for other companies. As for Samsung, it's allocated about $100 billion for an expansion of its own semiconductor business over the next ten years.
It was only recently that Intel wooed "I'm a Mac" star Justin Long to appear in ads that target M1 Macs, yet the embattled chipmaker is now looking to make future Apple silicon.