Hannah Grace Tech 11.03.2021 03:Nov AM EDT

iPhone 14 Gets Bad News Amid Chip Shortage: 3 Nanometer Chips Upgrade Impossible?

Several iPhone 14 rumors are spreading throughout the internet, including the chip upgrade from the current A15 of iPhone 13 to the A16 Bionic chip--which claims to be the fastest among all Apple devices introduced. However, a recent report revealed that the chip manufacturer of the tech giant struggles to uphold this upgrade expectations.

iPhone 14 Chip Upgrade Impossible?

The Cupertino-based technology company is gradually shifting the whole Mac lineup from Intel-based computers to its custom Apple silicon, per WCC Tech. Recently, Apple introduced two MacBook Pro models, such as the 14-inch and 16-inch variants, which are equipped with new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. Through the new chips that the MacBook has, the latest variants deliver enhanced performance beating the Intel-based laptops that they have released in the past.

Aside from the MacBook chip shift, the tech giant also extended the change to the iPhones and iPads. The corporation behind this remarkable transition is the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC).

Since several rumors about the chip upgrade for iPhone 14 circulates the internet, it is worth noting that TSMC is reportedly struggling to shift the manufacturing from the current 5 nanometers (nm) chip to 3nm, which means that there is a possibility that the chip change speculations will not occur.

For background information, the speculated 3nm chips for iPhone 14 is expected to produce a powerful and efficient processor without drastically increasing its size, per 9to5Mac.

"The upshot of TSMC's struggles is that the iPhone's processor will be stuck on the same chip manufacturing process for three consecutive years, including next year, for the first time in its history, according to an analysis by The Information of Apple's previous chips. That could in turn cause some customers to put off upgrading their devices for another year and give Apple's competitors a bit more time to catch up," The Information report furthered.

Despite the reported delays, TSMC is still expected to be the first chipmaker to have 3nm defeating the other chip manufacturer such as Intel and Qualcomm, per 9to5Mac.

On the other hand, the financial relationship between the chip manufacturer and the tech giant is said to be interdependent. According to reports, Apple accounted for a quarter of the company's total revenue of about $50 billion last year, which represents a significant increase from the total revenue of more than $20 billion in 2013 when the two companies first began collaborating.

iPhone 14 Design Concept Looks Really Cool

In a previous report, the latest concept design for iPhone 14 proposes a sliding screen that could be a major upgrade for the device since Apple introduced the iPhone to the market.

Since it is a sliding-screen, the proposed iPhone concept would have a dual-screen, in which the second screen could be a space for the keyboard of the Apple device. This only means that this is ideal for iPhone users who spend a lot of time typing.

Some may find the sliding screen concept unsurprising since the mobile phone models in 2006 introduced this idea first, but if this proposed idea is accepted, this could be the first time that the tech giant could produce an iPhone with a sliding screen.