Jeffries: iPhone 6 To Bring Quad-Core Chip In 2014
This week Jeffries analyst Peter Misek has spoken up about the possibility of Apple releasing a 4.8-inch iPhone 6 inside 2013, suggesting manufacturing yield issues are to blame for holding the larger device up for another year. It was also suggested that Apple is planning to "re-architect iOS to utilize more cores" before the iPhone 6 is revealed, allowing iOS 6 to utilize a processor with more than 2 CPU cores (and 3 GPU cores) as the iPhone 5 works with at the moment with its A6 chip. By the time the iPhone 6 rolls around, Misek says Apple will be working with a 20nm process, the smallest Node Process used by the company thus far being the A6 with 32nm.
Misek also noted that Jeffries believes that iOS 6 will include better methods of interoperation with iCloud, gesture controls, and advertising will be "substantially upgraded" before a new full-upgrade to an iPhone comes around. This set of updates may very well be coming with the iPhone 5S – or whatever new iPhone model is inevitably revealed before 2013 is through. The A-series processor that's delivered with the iPhone 5S is not expected by Jeffries to be significantly different from the A6 chip inside the iPhone 5 today.
The big change will come with the iPhone 6, whatever specifications that may hold, with 20nm chips and quad-core innards or better. That's four to eight CPU cores, mind you, and the possibility of more processing power than the current best-of on the market. Also included in this prediction is the possibility of Apple moving part (or all) of its processor production from Samsung to TSMC.
Misek notes that "some" think that Apple will be ending its processor manufacturing relationship with Samsung on the last day of 2013. He also suggests that any manufacturing that isn't moved over to TSMC after then will be subject to a substantial price increase from Samsung. The Jeffries report also includes mention of Intel fearing that if Apple uses their advanced processing nodes, Apple's move from X86 PCs to ARM-based computers would be accelerated.
Have a peek at the timeline below to see more tips and suggestions about the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6, however unofficial they may be!
[via Apple Insider]