A report today out of Taiwan claims Apple has finalized the technical specifications and completed the certification process for the various chipsets that will go inside its next generation iPhone 5, iPad 3, and Macbook Air set to debut this fall. According to China Economic News, Apple has placed orders from its various suppliers for the chips to delivered at the end of August.
With Taiwan’s semiconductor industry seeing signs of an overall slowdown, manufacturers are looking to Apple to sustain growth in the industry for the third quarter of this year. Some are feeling more upbeat than others after receiving large orders for chipsets that will go inside Apple’s upcoming devices.
Qualcomm, a major supplier of wireless chipsets for the iPhone, is expected to place orders with its partners TSMC and the Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Group for chip foundry and testing for the next-generation iPhone 5 starting in August, according to the report. TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor company, recently made headlines as the company rumored to be manufacturing Apple’s next-gen A6 chip.
Apple’s chip partners are likewise gearing up for the assembly of the iPad 3. Japan’s Renesas Electronics, who makes the LCD driver for the iPad, has placed orders with Taiwan’s Chipbond Technology for chip package assembly for the upcoming iPad 3. Texas Instruments, who builds the iPad’s power management chipset, has likewise placed an order with Ardentek Corp to package its chipset.
