If you’re into iPhone news, you’ve probably heard the rumor that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will use the same A15 Bionic chipset from the iPhone 13 lineup. That would be very unusual for Apple, but now we have an idea. of why this might be happening.
According to Mark Gurman – a journalist and leaker with a good track record of Apple information – in his Bloomberg Bulletin (opens in new tab)Apple is so focused on developing Mac chips that its iPhone chips have had to take a back seat.
Gurman points out that Apple has released five main types of Mac chips in the past 18 months and says the company has at least four more planned for next year.
Developing so many chipsets so fast is a colossal amount of work, and so Apple has apparently had to move a lot of its development resources to these chipsets – which include the M1, M1 Ultra, M2, and others.
Gurman doesn’t outright say that this led to Apple using the A15 Bionic two years in a row, but he strongly suggests that this Mac focus is a big factor, there simply aren’t enough resources to focus heavily on other chipsets as well.
Apple’s current focus would also explain why the company put the M1 chipset in the iPad Pro 2021 and iPad Air (2022) as it would mean one less chip to develop and why the company would be using a similar chipset in the Apple Watch 8 as the Apple Watch 7.
Gurman notes that this Mac focus is likely not the only problem, with reliance on other companies (most notably TSMC) and rising costs caused by global chipset shortages likely also being factors. But it seems likely that Apple’s renewed interest in the Mac is playing a role.
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This Mac focus is curious, because while Apple computers needed a boost in popularity, as Gurman points out, 60% of Apple’s revenue comes from devices that don’t run the M1 and M2 chip lines that Apple is currently focused on. . . So neglecting these devices seems like an odd choice.
Gurman also suggests that Apple’s chip department is getting too watered down, with reports of employee burnout and greater-than-usual attrition, suggesting the company’s strategy may not be sustainable.
Still, for now it’s unlikely to be much of a problem for buyers – or Apple’s coffers – as the current iPhone and Apple Watch chipsets are already extremely powerful. In fact, there’s a good chance that last year’s A15 Bionic will still have next year’s Android chipsets.
Also, according to reports, Apple isn’t totally neglecting the iPhone – there is believed to be a new A16 Bionic chipset in development (albeit one that isn’t much more powerful than the A15 Bionic). But it is said that this will only come to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
So, to get a power upgrade, you might need to spend a lot and buy one of the best iPhones. And it looks like the iPhone isn’t the only upcoming Apple product without a lot of expected changes, as the Apple Watch 8 may also have limited updates.