Apple is looking to replace Samsung as the processor manufacturer for its iPhones and iPads with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), according to Taiwanese news reports.
CENS reports that Apple began verifying TSMC’s 20nm manufacturing processes in August this year, with test runs expected by analysts to begin in November this year, ahead of volume production in the fourth quarter of 2013.
Aside from ongoing patent litigation between the two smartphone and consumer electronics giants, analysts believe cost pressures are a factor in Apple’s decision.
In September, SmartCompany reported that Apple was also in the process of switching from Samsung as its display and memory supplier, following Apple’s $US1 billion patent infringement lawsuit win against the Korean electronics giant.
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
