14 DAY TRIAL // South Korea's main business newspaper reports today that Samsung Electronics will be the main SoC (system on a chip) supplier for Apple’s upcoming iPhone, collectively named by the media "iPhone 6S."
Citing unnamed sources in the semiconductor industry, Maeil Business Newspaper said that Samsung would be the key supplier of processors destined to power the new iPhone, having scored a massive 75% order from Apple.
Earlier reports revealed a similar scenario, with DigiTimes saying something along those same lines: 70% of orders going to Samsung, with the remainder 30% going to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Like the Taiwanese report, the Korean paper also noted that Samsung would be relying on its factories in Austin, Texas, to make the chips. At least the chip-related rumors surrounding the iPhone 6S seem all but confirmed at this point.
iPhone 6S estimated launch date
As every year goes, analysts can’t agree that the next iPhone is definitely coming in the fall period, which is understandable. Despite launching its new iPhones in the September-October timeframe for the past three years, nothing is set in stone, even at Apple.
As such, some rumors have said that Apple – in an attempt to roll out the iPhone 7 one year early – has decided to schedule the launch of the iPhone 6S this spring. This move was also said to assist the Apple Watch launch, but there is little reason to believe that Apple wants to empty consumers’ pockets and risk not selling its most hotly anticipated product in years.
Most bets are still on the fall period, despite Samsung apparently getting to work early on the new A9 processor.