ZRyser

This sounds to me like way too much conclusion inferred from a mere chip micrograph. If that TechInsights company had a complete GDSII or full chip layout with all the CAD layers of both A12X and A12Z at their disposal, that would be a very different conversation. Significant performance/yield improvements can often be achieved by a revised metal mask set with no change to the front end, typically improved routing of the power grid and/or clock-tree.
The fact, that 8 GPU cores are present in both A12X and A12Z doesn’t mean, that all of them could be theoretically activated at A12X, or that it is indeed the same chip as A12Z.
Also, it’s not evident from the article, whether the yield issues were related to the GPU cores. If they were, the only way to improve yield would be taping out all the GPU cores as theoretically usable, and then disabling one during the wafer sort (either a faulty one, or an arbitrarily chosen good one). Because if the same GPU core was disabled on every A12X, I don’t see how that would improve the yield in any significant way.

GeorgeBMac said:

But, in reality, I don't either:  I use my AppleWatch -- which is super quick and super easy, then tuck the receipt into my wallet.

That's kind of my point. I can't even recall when did I last pay with a credit card. I use the Apple Watch all the time and you'd be hard pressed to invent anything more convenient.

There is little incentive for consumers to ditch credit cards, the top form of payment in America, for a mobile payment alternative, du Toit notes. In some cases, swiping or inserting a credit card into a point of sale terminal is easier than pulling out an iPhone, unlocking it and tapping it on an NFC reader.

Integration is another issue. Credit cards are accepted by nearly all U.S. merchants and cash is, obviously, ubiquitous. Brick-and-mortar stores are beginning to adopt touchless solutions like Apple Pay, but the process often requires the purchase and installation of new hardware, as well as acceptance of an operator's terms.

What a smoking pile of rubbish that report is.

ad 1) In no imaginable scenario whatsoever is fishing out my wallet, taking out the credit card and inserting it into a point of sale, putting it back to my wallet and putting the wallet back in my pocket faster, than paying with my iPhone, let alone paying with my Apple Watch, that is already on my wrist and I just double tap the button and put it to the terminal! That is sheer nonsense.

ad b) Here in Europe, contactless payment is everywhere, and in over a year of using Apple pay, I have yet to encounter a brick & mortar store, that wouldn't accept Apple Pay. My experience covers multiple countries in Western, Central/Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

And there is no Apple Pay vs. credit card dichotomy. One still uses their credit/debit card while using Apple Pay.

The amount of nonsense in that report is just staggering. The author clearly hadn't used Apple Pay once.

Together with iPadOS, this was the high point of the WWDC for me.
Any Apple user can potentially benefit from this. Not just the ones who buy the next product. This is what sets Apple apart.

epicurus said:

Those with extra cash bought the Xs n Xs Max.. those on a budget are waiting for the holidays and/or possible specials from the carriers. I myself have two aging iPhones and we plan on getting two new iphone Xr’s they’ll be an improvement drastically over what we have but not kill the budget. But we are waiting probably until december just as many of my friends.. i’m sure Apple will make nice profit this next quarter.. maybe not what the greedy as fck wall street people expect 

Very good summary. My XS Max (ordered at Apple) arrived a couple of days ago, and judging by how long I had to wait for it, I don't think Apple is struggling with lacking demand.
We hear the same old story every single year. If I could get 1 AAPL for every Apple doom and gloom insider info news cycle, I'd have a decent retirement portfolio by now. Meanwhile, the company is still alive and kicking, and their combination of market share and ASP makes them the untouchable #1 by such a ridiculous margin, that future generations will read about this phenomenon in their economy courses.
So, yeah ... yawn.