Apple A6 Chip in Early Production Stages at TSMC
TSMC could score yet another contract for a fancy chip.
Samsung is Apple's chip partner with its ARM-based A4 and A5 that have been the brains of the latest iPod touch, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV devices. Of course, the two companies aren't friends in the legal realm right now, so perhaps Apple is just looking for a new friend with a factory.
The Taiwanese Economic News reports that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSMC) has allegedly started trial production of Apple's A6 chip, which will likely be used in future generations of Apple mobile devices.
TSMC is lending its 28nm process with 3D chip stacking technology to Apple's A6 chip, with plans to be taped out in Q1 2012. The A6 could hit real products as soon as Q2.
Sadly, there are not any details yet regarding the chip, but hopefully it'll give Nvidia's quad-core Kal-El a run for its money. Yay for competitive progress, right?

I wouldn't be suprised if we see Intel be the next target. Apples is filing patents for the MacBook Air and very soon could start suing Intel cause they want to help introduce Ultrabooks for the PC manufacturers.
Apple is one of the companies behind INTEL's ultrabook project, if not the only one right now. But I imagine INTEL wants more clients aboard.
Yield rates are probably still low compared to larger, but more mature processes.
Next iPhone gets the A5 chip. This A6 is for the generation AFTER that, likely debuting in the next iPad first given its larger size and battery, it can better handle heat dissipation and power draw, which are much more difficult engineering issues to deal with when you get into the smaller form of the iPhone.
And that certainly wouldn't surprise me. Apple has a great business model (obviously because they make BOAT loads of cash) and I like some of their products, namely mac os (I don't use it, but a lot of the features are very nice) but this kind of shit really pisses me off. They have so much power it is ridiculous, and their followers remind me of lemmings, they'd follow them to the ends of the earth. Anything that has an Apple branding on it deserves complete worship and all other products are horribly designed because Steve Jobs didn't oversee production. Complete BS
(and I know people like this lol, it's a PRODUCT people. We're just dollars and cents to them, pick the one you like best, no need to argue over which mobile phone operating system is superior, give me a break. It amazes me how people can adopt consumer products as a part of their identity)
TSMC has nothing to worry about. Unless they want to start making products that copy Apple.
I'll say it again: I bet the person in charge of Samsung's Electronics division is pissed at whoever is in charge of the phone/tablet division for causing them to lose $7.8 billion in sales because they couldn't come up with their own designs.
There is nothing wrong with having a little pride in what you own ;P
It's our differences in tastes that make us unique no matter if you hate or love a product line with a passion.
I expect the real reason we may see it in the next iPad first would simply be product cycles. I wouldn't expect power draw and heat dissipation to be the main concerns as they are moving to a more efficient manufacturing process (28nm). They just need to get the yield down to an acceptable level, and hopefully it will be ready in time for the retina display iPad. Certainly before iPhone 6 emerges.
Awesome!
Powerful yet sipping power!