Samsung reportedly wins contract to supply 'A9' SoCs for Apple's next iPhone

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  • Reply 21 of 39
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by leavingthebigG View Post

     



    I am not certain this is true. According to an article published on March 30, 2015, by the Korea IT News, Samsung has created a display specifically to cater to Apple's needs. The article is titled, "Samsung Display Creates Exclusive Group in Charge of ‘Apple’". Here is the link to the news article... http://english.etnews.com/20150330200001.




    Firstly, I was talking about the process size Samsung currently use to make their Exynos 7420 processor which is used in the Galaxy S6 phones, which hasn't much to do with their display manufacturing.  Secondly, creating an in house team specifically to handle the requirements of single large customer doesn't imply that customer is getting a significant discount.

     

    I doubt Apple is going to be paying any less for the A9 than Samsung mobile is for the 7420.

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  • Reply 22 of 39
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,772member
    This is actually pretty old news if anyone paid attention to some of the lesser read industry blogs. I mentioned this months ago and repeated it as recently as November last.
    http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/183466/rumor-apple-taps-rival-samsung-to-build-majority-of-a-series-chips-starting-next-year#post_2640695

    The first news of this that I'm aware of came out in June of 2013. These contracts are worked out years in advance and not a few weeks before the next gen iPhone is being finalized.
    http://english.hankyung.com/news/apps/news.view?c1=&newscate=1&nkey=201307150718011
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  • Reply 23 of 39
    fjose1929 wrote: »
    Baloney. I bet you samsung's numbers are so abysmal that they need to have their paid lackeys come up with some good news.

    Just like blackberry, at some point they will have to do write downs for all the 'sold' phones in warehouses. Apple is reporting on the 27th. Normally Apple would report much earlier and Samsung reports around the 27th. Maybe Samsung will move their report date too. But watch for it. They must be really bad.

    As to Apple reporting much later, maybe they did it so they can announce the sales of the Iwatch before the quiet period (which I think begins two weeks before report date).

    Actually Samsung sales a lot of phones internationally. They sale more phones then anyone else. At some point I think everyone here can agree channel stuffing becomes obvious but when you have profits to back it up they are selling. The S series may not sale as much as the iPhone but it's a successful phone line none the less.
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  • Reply 24 of 39
    cnocbui wrote: »

    Firstly, I was talking about the process size Samsung currently use to make their Exynos 7420 processor which is used in the Galaxy S6 phones, which hasn't much to do with their display manufacturing.  Secondly, creating an in house team specifically to handle the requirements of single large customer doesn't imply that customer is getting a significant discount.

    I doubt Apple is going to be paying any less for the A9 than Samsung mobile is for the 7420.

    I gave you an example of at least one Samsung division making dramatic changes to cater to Apple's needs. So, it is within the realm of possibility another Samsung division would offer Apple a discount in an attempt to get Apple's A9 business away from a competitor. Nothing is truly known about these deals.
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  • Reply 25 of 39
    gatorguy wrote: »
    This is actually pretty old news if anyone paid attention to some of the lesser read industry blogs. I mentioned this months ago and repeated it as recently as November last.
    http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/183466/rumor-apple-taps-rival-samsung-to-build-majority-of-a-series-chips-starting-next-year#post_2640695

    The first news of this that I'm aware of came out in June of 2013. These contracts are worked out years in advance and not a few weeks before the next gen iPhone is being finalized.
    http://english.hankyung.com/news/apps/news.view?c1=&newscate=1&nkey=201307150718011

    Bloomberg has published multiple articles about the A9 manufacturer. Two articles just last month mentioned a different outcome to this one. I would post the links, but I am uncertain the links would be allowed to stay.
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  • Reply 26 of 39

    Samsung has a manufacturing facility in Austin TX.  Global Foundries' facility is located in Malta, NY.

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  • Reply 27 of 39
    ralphmouthralphmouth Posts: 192member

    Apple wants the latest fab technology for their chips. Intel's recent troubles with Broadwell shows that the industry has reached a point where advances will begin to slow. There is no way Apple can stick with one company to get the latest technology. If Bloomberg is right, alternating between TSMC and Samsung+GF is the ideal solution to ensure new Ax chips every year.

     

    I think we should also take note that the A9 will likely be a whole new architecture instead of another update of Cyclone. This means the next Ax chip will be based on a new architecture AND manufactured on a new process. This is something that not even Intel is willing to risk doing (although they are at least one generation ahead of everyone else). Apple is seriously firing on all cylinders with respect to mobile CPU design and leaving the other smart phone competitors in the dust.

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  • Reply 28 of 39
    xixoxixo Posts: 451member
    Have you noticed your comment is no longer second, but first now?

    As far as I know we don't have the capability to delete our own comments.

    I don't know what happened to my original comment. This is not the first time comments I've posted went missing.
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  • Reply 29 of 39
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    What I find funny is there was rumor even after the launch of the i6 that Samsung have 40% of that business. This is how people who have no clue take bits and piece of information and jump to the wrong conclusion. I said this before Apple is not going to split the SOC across to company and two different processes it too difficult to make software work the exact same way on both.

    The same source Bloomberg who claimed apple was splitting the A8 SOC between TSMC and Samsung and now say Samsung is not doing A8 but A9. How can they have it both way. What really happened was Samsung had 40% of the SOC business because they were still making A7 and A6 which was 40% of apples total SOC business. We know going forward that A9 and A8 will be in existence together and A7 and A6 will be dead well maybe this will assume apple is killing off the ipad 2 and ATV3. If this happen and Samsung does not get the A9 they will be completely out.

    Now the question is will apple keep the eggs in one basket TSMC or split the business which is what you would do to reduce risk. Keep in mind up to the A8 Apple put all their SOC business with Samsung. Apple does not have an issue with put it all with one company.
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  • Reply 30 of 39
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by leavingthebigG View Post





    I gave you an example of at least one Samsung division making dramatic changes to cater to Apple's needs. So, it is within the realm of possibility another Samsung division would offer Apple a discount in an attempt to get Apple's A9 business away from a competitor. Nothing is truly known about these deals.



    What competitor would Samsung be trying to woo A9 14nm business from?

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  • Reply 31 of 39
    tooltalktooltalk Posts: 766member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by leavingthebigG View Post

     



    I am not certain this is true. According to an article published on March 30, 2015, by the Korea IT News, Samsung has created a display specifically to cater to Apple's needs. The article is titled, "Samsung Display Creates Exclusive Group in Charge of ‘Apple’". Here is the link to the news article... http://english.etnews.com/20150330200001.


     

    I don't see where "Samsung has created a display specifically" to cater Apple in the article.  It's not uncommon to see a team of dedicated sales/pre-sales team for big clients like AT&T, Apple, Verizon, etc, etc.

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  • Reply 32 of 39
    raptoroo7raptoroo7 Posts: 140member

    Apple doesn't make anything, they rely solely on the rest of the rest of the world to make everything including Samsung, Corning,  and many others.  Too bad they can't make their own products IN the USA.

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  • Reply 33 of 39
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tooltalk View Post

     

     

    I don't see where "Samsung has created a display specifically" to cater Apple in the article.  It's not uncommon to see a team of dedicated sales/pre-sales team for big clients like AT&T, Apple, Verizon, etc, etc.




    Wow, the power of missing one word in a sentence! My bad!! I intended to, but did not, write, "display team".

     

    I agree it is not uncommon to see a dedicated teams. Samsung apparently never had such a team for Apple and has decided to create a team. This team creation is mentioned very first sentence article, "Samsung Display is creating an exclusive group for focusing only on Apple’s product development and management."

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  • Reply 34 of 39
    tooltalktooltalk Posts: 766member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by leavingthebigG View Post





    I gave you an example of at least one Samsung division making dramatic changes to cater to Apple's needs. So, it is within the realm of possibility another Samsung division would offer Apple a discount in an attempt to get Apple's A9 business away from a competitor. Nothing is truly known about these deals.

     

    Sure, but what is known is that there is no other competitor offering the same kind of product today.  This Bloomberg article notes that TSMC is *still* trying to bring up their next generation processing, 16nm, while Samsung has already gone "mass production" with their 14nm.  The only other custom foundry offering 14nm processing is GlobalFoundry -- Glofo licenses Samsung's tech and they are essentially sharing the orders from Apple.  TSMC was expected to have their 16nm ready early this year and 16+nm later, but there have been already rumors of delays.  There are further rumors that both Qualcomm and AMD are ditching TSMC for Samsung.   It's highly unintelligent to speculate that Samsung is using its price discount to entice Apple, given all these. 

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  • Reply 35 of 39
    hmmhmm Posts: 3,405member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RaptorOO7 View Post

     

    Apple doesn't make anything, they rely solely on the rest of the rest of the world to make everything including Samsung, Corning,  and many others.  Too bad they can't make their own products IN the USA.


     

    Ahem

    Quote:

    At the time, TSMC was set to start producing chips for Apple in 2014, but noted Apple blogger John Gruber cited speculation that Apple's A7 was being produced by TSMC as a reason for cuts in Apple orders at Samsung's chip fab facility in Austin


     

    and one more

    Quote:

    Samsung will reportedly make the chips from its factory in Austin, Texas, the report said.


     

    As for Apple acquiring a foundry, it's a high level of risk, and they have no real expertise in that area. They have always pushed risk off onto their vendors.

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  • Reply 36 of 39
    fjose1929 wrote: »
    Baloney. I bet you samsung's numbers are so abysmal that they need to have their paid lackeys come up with some good news.

    Just like blackberry, at some point they will have to do write downs for all the 'sold' phones in warehouses. Apple is reporting on the 27th. Normally Apple would report much earlier and Samsung reports around the 27th. Maybe Samsung will move their report date too. But watch for it. They must be really bad.

    As to Apple reporting much later, maybe they did it so they can announce the sales of the Iwatch before the quiet period (which I think begins two weeks before report date).

    As fully expected, Samsung has announced it is expecting a 30% YOY drop in earnings. As articles about this latest drop, there will be the expected cavea, "but Samsung will be manufacturing the A9, which will boost Samsung's earnings...".

    The hilarious point that will be purposely ignored is this pattern has been going on for several quarters and it is not being reported.
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  • Reply 37 of 39
    marvfoxmarvfox Posts: 2,275member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by RaptorOO7 View Post

     

    Apple doesn't make anything, they rely solely on the rest of the rest of the world to make everything including Samsung, Corning,  and many others.  Too bad they can't make their own products IN the USA.




    Right On!

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  • Reply 38 of 39
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by leavingthebigG View Post





    As fully expected, Samsung has announced it is expecting a 30% YOY drop in earnings. As articles about this latest drop, there will be the expected cavea, "but Samsung will be manufacturing the A9, which will boost Samsung's earnings...".



    The hilarious point that will be purposely ignored is this pattern has been going on for several quarters and it is not being reported.

     

    It has been reported.

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  • Reply 39 of 39
    cnocbui wrote: »
    It has been reported.

    Color me stunned! Do you have a link to the article that references the pattern of the Samsung A* wins just before another quarterly loss is announced?
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