Apple Is Having A Hard Time Saying Goodbye To Samsung As A Parts Supplier
July 1, 2013
Apple may eventually rid itself of Samsung as a primary iOS parts supplier. However, despite making moves to that end, Apple continues to buy parts from the South Korean company. They don’t have any other choice, according to The Wall Street Journal.
It’s no secret that the relationship between Apple and Samsung has deteriorated since the latter decided to launch its own line of mobile devices. As a result, Apple wants future iOS devices to be free of Samsung parts. This process, however, hasn’t been easy.
As The Wall Street Journal notes:
Apple's conundrum: Samsung is the world's biggest maker of some of the most sophisticated parts that Apple craves, such as processors, memory and high-resolution screens. Apple also has more than a half-decade invested in working with Samsung to build custom chips. Replicating that elsewhere is daunting, former Apple executives say.A perfect example of this is Apple’s recent signing of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) as an iOS chip supplier. Although rumored for years, the agreement was delayed “after years of technical delays.” Despite this, TSMC chips still aren’t expected on iOS devices until 2014. As TSMC confirmed to The Wall Street Journal, the process has “been beset by glitches preventing the chips from meeting Apple's speed and power standards.” In the interim, Samsung will remain Apple’s primary supplier of chips through next year. Apple has faced similar obstacles in its attempt to push Samsung out. In 2011, Apple had wanted Sharp to supply the Retina display screens for the iPad 3. That didn’t happen because Sharp missed the launch deadline. Instead, Apple used Samsung. From a consumer perspective, it’s nice to see Apple committed to putting the best parts into its products, even if those parts come from Samsung. From a production standpoint, however, it’s clear that the transition has been anything but smooth. See also: Samsung And Android Continue To Sizzle As Apple Loses Market Share In Europe , and Court: Apple Can’t Sell Certain iOS Devices In The US.
