Will Apple be forced to push back the 2017 release date schedules of both the iPad Pro refresh and the overhauled iPhone 8 following rumors from Asia that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is dealing with low-yield prospects in the mass production of the next-gen A10X and A11 SoCs?
Taiwanese publication DigiTimes reported late this week that TSMC has been snagged by lower than expected yield rates in the mass manufacture of the 10nanometer FinFET process chips that will power Apple's 2017 flagship devices. The same is true with Samsung, which is reported to mass produce Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 chip.
The 10nm chip production issue, if not corrected in time, is projected to impact on the release timing of the iPad and iPhone 2017 sequels from Apple as well as the next Galaxy flagship phone from Samsung, the same report suggested. A10X and A11 are reported to power the iPad Pro and iPhone 8 next year while the Galaxy S8 is expected to count on SD 835 as its main engine.
Specifically for the 2017 iPad Pro, Apple might be forced to delay the arrival of the new models that DigiTimes said will drop March next year. Apple is likely to push out version number two of the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch form factors it issued last year, and in between a midsize model with a 10-inch screen profile.
As for the next iPhone, the likely scenario is for the tech giant to instead use a 16nm or 14nm chip when the company refreshes its flagship phone lineup. Then Apple will just reserve the 10nm A11 SoC for exclusive of the reengineered iPhone 8.
This is in line with the latest rumors, and supported by the recent forecast from reputed Apple watcher Ming-chi Kuo, that there will be three iOS flagship phones to touchdown in 2017. Two of them will be the replacement for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, to be called iPhone 7S and 7S Plus, and will largely resemble their immediate predecessors.
And one will be the top model - the all-screen and all-glass iPhone 8 that will boast of 5.8-inch curved OLED screen with virtual control keys that will be made possible with Apple's suppose use of touch-sensitive technology.
However, hope remains that both Apple and Samsung will take deliveries of 10nm processors in time for the release date of their respective flagship devices in 2017 as it will be a huge jump from 16nm or 14nm. Per iDownloadBlog.com, "10-nanometer process is a major advance over the 16-nanometer node ... because ten-nanometer chips incorporate smaller transistors, they're smaller, use less power and run faster than their 16-nanometer counterparts."