Production

TSMC to build Apple’s in-house designed AMOLED driver chips for 10th Anniversary iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 17, 2016

TSMC is believed to have secured orders for an Apple-designed 'A11' system-on-a-chip expected to power so-called Tenth Anniversary iPhone and new iPads in 2017, trade publication DigiTimes reports. The chip should be fabricated on TSMC's ten-nanometer process technology and use its backend integrated fan-out (InFO) wafer-level packaging technology. Additionally, TSMC should build Apple-designed circuitry to drive 2017 iPhone's AMOLED panel.

Foxconn reportedly developing OLED displays and glass casings for 10th Anniversary iPhone in 2017

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 9, 2016

The rumor-mill has been adamant that a 2017 iPhone model—dubbed by the press a Tenth Anniversary iPhone because the original iPhone was announced and released in 2007—will adopt power-saving organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology and feature an all-new industrial design.

Japanese outlet Nikkei is now reporting that iPhone contract manufacturer Foxconn is developing both OLED displays (Foxconn bought Sharp earlier this year) and glass casings to secure orders for the Tenth Anniversary iPhone in 2017.

Pegatron, another iPhone manufacturer, cuts back on hiring due to assembly line automation

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 28, 2016

Taiwan-based Pegatron Corporation, which has long been Apple's secondary product manufacturer after Foxconn, has begun automating production lines where gadgets for other companies are being assembled. As a result of increased automation at the Shanghai plant, the company cut back on new hires, said its chairman TH Tung according to Chinese media quoted Thursday by DigiTimes.

TSMC reportedly wins exclusive contract to build A11 chips for 2017 iPhones and iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 19, 2016

Citing a story in the Chinese-language Economic Daily News newspaper, Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes reported yesterday that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will be the sole supplier of an Apple-designed 'A11' chip, which should power 2017 iPhone and iPad models.

In other words, Samsung could be on the outs for the next two generations of iPhone processors as both this year's A10 and next year's A11 are now said to be exclusively manufactured by TSMC. The A11 chip will be built on the foundry's cutting-edge ten-nanometer FinFET process.

Samsung could build 240M AMOLEDs for future iPhones in the next 3 years

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2016

LG Display, Japan Display, AU Optronics, Samsung Display and Foxconn-owned Sharp are all said to share production of AMOLED panels for future iPhones, with Samsung alone providing an estimated 240 million AMOLED units in the next three years beginning in 2017, DigiTimes Research predicted yesterday.

Samsung is the world's top producer of AMOLED panels. When deployed to the iPhone, this technology will result in crisper colors, deeper blacks, increased brightness, high visibility under direct sunlight and reduced power consumption.

iPhone 7 ‘A10’ chip orders to help grow TSMC’s quarterly revenue by 20 percent

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2016

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world's top semiconductor foundry which Apple has commissioned to build 'A10' processors for the next iPhone alongside Samsung, is expected to grow its revenue substantially in the third quarter of this year thanks to these orders.

Taiwan's Central News Agency, quoted by trade publication DigiTimes, said this morning that TSMC is reportedly forecast to grow revenues almost twenty percent sequentially in its third quarter “as shipments for Apple's A10 processors will kick off soon”.

Apple supplier to build nanowire-based flexible toucscreens, likely for future iOS devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 10, 2017

Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes is reporting that TPK Holding is gearing up to product nanowire-based flexible touchscreens. TPK is on Apple's supplier list so there's a high likelihood that future iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices could switch to these flexible screens based on nano silver ink. Originally developed by 3M, silver nanowire films are flexible and transparent to the eye, making them feasible for wearable devices particular.

iPhone chip maker TSMC to spend a massive $2.2 billion on R&D this year

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 26, 2016

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), the world's largest independent chip foundry, has set aside a research and development budget for this year of a record-setting $2.2 billion in order to ensure its fabrication process technology stays ahead of competition, said a report this morning in Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes. In 2015, the firm spent just $1.067 billion on R&D.

iPhone manufacturer Foxconn replaces 60,000 factory workers with robots

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 25, 2016

Robots are taking over iPhone manufacturer Foxconn: the world's biggest contract fabricator has successfully replaced as many as 60,000 factory workers with sophisticated machines that use artificial intelligence to perform elaborate assembly work more efficiently than humans do, a government official told the South China Morning Post.

Production machinery orders spiking ahead of iPhone’s switch to OLED screens

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 23, 2016

Many in the rumor-mill agree that Apple is planning to build an iPhone around the brighter, more power efficient AMOLED screen tech. New clues of 2017 bringing a major change to the iPhone's display technology appeared with news this morning that the world's top maker of display-making equipment, Applied Materials, reported an almost fourfold leap in orders for OLED production machinery.

Apple asks suppliers to prepare for much higher-than-expected iPhone 7 production

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 25, 2017

Peak iPhone? If the latest supply chain report is to be trusted, the Cupertino firm doesn't envision iPhone sales tapering off anytime soon, at least not this year. Barron's said Monday, citing a report in the Taiwanese publication Economic Daily Times, that Apple has now asked its contract manufacturers and Asian suppliers to prepare for a much higher-than-expected iPhone 7 production volume in 2016.

Instead of ordering about 65 million handsets, which would have been in line with what Wall Street had been predicting, Apple needs between 72-78 million units of the new iPhone produced this year.

DigiTimes: Intel to supply at least half of iPhone 7’s faster LTE cellular modems

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 17, 2016

Rumors continue to swirl that Intel had been commissioned to build LTE modem chips for Apple's upcoming smartphone refresh, a marquee win for the semiconductor giant.

Tuesday, Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes reported that Intel may supply up to fifty percent of LTE modems for the forthcoming iPhone 7 models.

Although Intel itself will package the modems, the chips will be mass-produced by contract manufacturers TSMC and KYEC, as per DigiTimes, indicating that the iPhone 7's 'A10' system-on-a-chip may integrate an Intel-built LTE modem. These Intel-designed LTE modems for the iPhone 7 are said to be faster than those in the iPhone 6s.