Apple's reported sole A10 chip supplier, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), is said to be ramping up mass production of the application processor that will power both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, the latter rumored to be labelled as the iPhone Pro. The latest news from Asia prompted speculations that release date of the next iPhone is quite imminent.
In a report, Apple Insider said that TSMC will double its production capacity of the 16-nanometer chips by the end of March 2016. From the 40,000 12-inch wafer chips produced in February, the numbers are projected to jump to 80,000 units at the close of the current month, the report said, pointing to Chinese-language The Economic Daily News as source.
The latest development from Asia, where Apple sources its components that make up the iOS devices and where they are assembled, appears to indicate that full-scale preparation for the next iPhone rollout is already underway. If so, the rumored iPhone 7 release date is right on schedule as unboxing traditionally takes place on September or can even be advanced if the earlier speculations would prove correct that unveiling can happen as early as July or August 2016.
Or TSMC is merely starting ahead of its usual calendar as recent reports have suggested that the Taiwan-based firm is likely to monopolize the next iPhone processing chip contract from Apple, bumping off its chief rival Samsung.
True or not, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus build and design appears nearly finalized and among the feature upgrades to be expected is a dual-camera system, a variant of which already became a reality with the LG G5.
MacRumors reported that the killer camera upgrade will be exclusive to the 5.5-inch iPhone and to highlight the device's better shooting capabilities Apple is said to be considering a rename of its phablet flagship. The iPhone 7 Plus will unbox this 2016 as the iPhone Pro and the rebrand is purportedly to emphasize the supersized phone's more superior camera system in terms of enhanced image production, low-light adjustments and optical zoom.
The iPhone Pro will be distinct from the regular iPhone 7 as the former will boast of DSLR-class camera, the report said.
As mentioned, the iPhone 7 release date is not expected until September 2016 but the next iPhone from Apple could come as early as this month as the 4-inch iPhone SE is set for introduction on the 21st alongside the 9.7-inch iPad Pro (or iPad Air 3) and a model or two of the 2016 MacBook Pro and Air.