If you're on top of iPhone news, you'll have heard the rumor that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will use the same A15 Bionic chipset as the iPhone 13 lineup. That would be highly unusual for Apple, but now we have an idea why. what could this be happening.
According to Mark Gurman — a journalist and financial backer with a good track record of Apple news — in his Bloomberg newsletter (opens in a new tab), Apple is so focused on developing Mac chips that its iPhone chips had to pass in second plano.
Gurman notes that Apple has released five major 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 quickly is a colossal amount of work, which is why Apple apparently had to shift a lot of its development resources to these chipsets, including the M1, M1 Ultra, M2, and others.
Gurman doesn't say outright that this led to Apple using the A15 Bionic two years in a row, but he strongly suggests that this Mac approach is a big factor, because there simply aren't enough resources to focus heavily on others. chipsets too.
Apple's current approach would also explain why the company put the M1 chipset in the iPad Pro 2021 and iPad Air (2022) because it would mean one less chip to develop, and why the company would use a similar chipset in the Apple Watch 8 as apple watch 7
Gurman notes that this Mac approach is probably not the only problem, as reliance on other companies (particularly TSMC) and rising costs caused by global chipset shortages are also likely to be factors. . But it seems likely that Apple's renewed interest in the Mac is playing a role.
Analysis: A strange strategy but no big deal
This focus on the Mac is curious, because while Apple computers arguably 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 lines of chips in which Apple is currently focusing. . . Therefore, neglecting these devices seems like a strange choice.
Gurman also suggests that Apple's chip department is becoming overextended, with reports of employee burnout and higher than normal attrition, suggesting the company's strategy may not be sustainable.
Still, for now, it's unlikely to be a big deal for buyers, or for Apple's coffers, because current iPhone and Apple Watch chipsets are already extremely powerful. In fact, last year's A15 Bionic is likely to be outclassed by next year's Android chipsets.
Also, Apple is reportedly not neglecting the iPhone entirely: a new A16 Bionic chipset is believed to be in development (although it might not be much more powerful than the A15 Bionic). But this would only affect the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
So to get a power upgrade, you may have to spend big and buy one of the best iPhone. And it seems that the iPhone isn't the only Apple product to come without many expected changes, as the Apple Watch 8 might also have limited updates.