Earlier this yr, the commonly dependable Ming-Chi Kuo broke the moderately beautiful information that this yr’s entry-level iPhone 14 would not be getting an upgraded A-series chip. As a substitute, it could function the identical A15 chip launched with final yr’s iPhone 13.
If true, this may be an unprecedented transfer for Apple, which over time has launched new variations of its iPhone processors with out fail as annually’s flagship iPhones come alongside. Even when the wallet-friendly iPhone SE has joined the celebration, it all the time packs within the current-generation chips.
As unusual as this appeared, Kuo’s prediction was backed up by a number of different dependable sources — together with a few of our personal. In accordance with the whole lot we’ve heard, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will keep on with what’s mainly the identical A15 chip discovered within the iPhone 13 lineup; solely the iPhone 14 Professional and iPhone 14 Professional Max will transfer on to a brand new A16 chip.
It’s seemingly that Apple will barely obfuscate this by giving the chip a brand new identify, maybe going with one thing like A16 and A16 Professional, and it might even get a number of minor tweaks, however it doesn’t matter what Apple calls it, it will nonetheless be primarily an A15 chip beneath all of it.
Many of the earlier stories pointed to produce chain issues as the rationale for this; Apple merely couldn’t make sufficient chips to fulfill demand, some mentioned. Nevertheless, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is pointing to a different trigger: Apple’s chip engineering groups are unfold too skinny.
It’s All Concerning the Mac
For the reason that M1 made its debut in 2020, Apple’s in-house Mac chips have taken the world by storm. As if that wasn’t sufficient, Apple adopted that first act up lower than a yr later with the M1 Professional and M1 Max powerhouses after which dropped the insanely highly effective M1 Extremely lower than six months after that.
These first-generation M-series chips run circles round practically the whole lot else on the market, and that’s only a begin. Apple revealed the M2 chip final month, which is able to virtually definitely be adopted by an M2 Professional, M2 Max, and M2 Extremely inside the subsequent 12 months, and an M3 chip by this time subsequent yr.
On high of that, Apple could have encountered some setbacks with its personal 5G modem chip designs, but it surely hasn’t given up on that venture.
The issue is that every one the engineering expertise required to design these unbelievable chips should come from someplace. Apple has all the time been an organization that operates “lean and imply” in the case of design and engineering, and there hasn’t precisely been an enormous hiring spree of silicon engineers.
More than likely, Apple has been borrowing expertise from elsewhere, such because the groups engaged on the iPhone and Apple Watch chips. Just like the iPhone 14, we’ve been advised the Apple Watch Collection 8 will function the identical chip used because the Collection 6. It would most likely be referred to as an “S8” chip, however it is going to be an S6/S7 below the hood.
In accordance with Gurman, it’s because Apple has shifted a lot of its assets over to the Mac facet:
With a view to get there, Apple’s silicon engineering group needed to shift a lot of its testing, improvement and manufacturing assets to Mac chips. The query is whether or not that affected its different merchandise. Mixed with provide bottlenecks, the main target could have contributed to slower progress for the iPhone, Apple Watch and even mobile modems.
Mark Gurman
Gurman concedes that offer bottlenecks even have one thing to do with this, so there’s seemingly some fact to the A15/A16 stories from Kuo and others earlier this yr. Nevertheless, he notes that that is simply the end result of years of diminishing returns from Apple’s A-series chips.
For instance, when Apple unveiled the iPhone 13 final yr, firm executives conspicuously prevented direct comparisons to the A14. As a substitute, they targeted on the way it in comparison with rival Android chips. In 2020, Apple didn’t speak a lot concerning the A14 chip when it debuted within the fourth-generation iPad Air, however that’s solely as a result of it was saving it for the iPhone 12 launch the next month.
The shift to the Mac has additionally stymied Apple’s 5G modem efforts, though Gurman provides that he by no means anticipated Apple’s chip to be prepared for the 2023 “iPhone 15” as others had predicted. He says it’s a a lot larger venture than most individuals understand, and if Apple goes to provide its personal modem chip, it had higher no less than maintain its personal towards Qualcomm’s choices — a tall order contemplating that Qualcomm has an enormous head begin.
There was a distinction of opinion over when Apple truly deliberate to launch its personal modem. Some analysts mentioned it was 2023, however I’ve all the time believed that 2024 was the earliest date for an Apple modem because the firm solely began engaged on the venture round 2019. It’s an enormous overtaking given the complexity of constructing a chip that wants to hook up with 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G towers globally with out fail, whereas providing nearly as good or higher efficiency as Qualcomm.
Mark Gurman
The opposite downside, Gurman shares, is that Apple’s chip engineers could also be affected by worker burnout. Engineers have reported that it’s a really demanding place to work, run with “navy precision,” and Apple has been dropping engineers at an alarming charge.
In actual fact, Apple’s choice to maneuver to the M1 chip within the iPad could have been borne extra out of necessity than anything. Utilizing the “off-the-shelf” M1 chip already designed for the Mac, Apple’s engineers are saved the difficulty of designing yet one more new chip.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]