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Technology Stocks : Apple Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jeff Hayden who wrote (149310)	1/26/2013 11:38:23 PM
From: neolib	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 213176

Apple in fact has an ARM architecture license, so they are/will be doing full custom CPU cores. But that is the only significant hardware design IP they have. The latest rumors are that Apple will be stuck with Samsung through 2013, switching to TSMC possibly at the 20nm node in 2014. TSMC has been attempting qualification at 28nm for Apple, but it is not now thought to lead to production at that node. All rumors of course because Apple won't divulge such details. My own bet is that Samsung retains a significant chunk of Apple's SOC business in 2014, because they clearly lead TSMC in process tech. Samsung will be sampling 14nm FinFET (20nm back end) likely late 2013, and I suspect they will entice Apple with their lead over TSMC. If Apple wants to pass and use TSMC, that will be fine, Samsung's own products and all the competition they sell SOCs to can have a substantial performance lead over Apple. Hence I suspect Apple sticks with Samsung, despite the rocky relationship.