CHINA TOPIX

12/22/2024 10:20:45 pm

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Apple Watch May Run Samsung Processor

Apple Watch

(Photo : Reuters) The Apple Watch appears to be a hit, at least on some models.


A new rumor suggests Apple might have contracted Samsung to be the primary manufacturer for the S1 chip, the processor inside the upcoming Apple Watch.


Apple reportedly has acquired 3,000 to 4,000 12-inch wafers every month from Samsung, in an attempt to have sufficient hardware units before the launch in spring, according to ZDNet.

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Each 12-inch wafer has 700 processors, meaning Apple will be grabbing 2.5 million new processors every month. By the time the Apple Watch launches, Apple should have a healthy supply of available processors.

Samsung will supply 20-nanometer chips, the new standard Apple is looking to attain with all processors. Reports say this is one of the reasons Samsung was originally dropped by Apple as primary manufacturer, due to TSMC's 20-nanometer capabilities.

Apple will also be adding several health and fitness sensors inside the smartwatch, allowing users to better track personal health. Notifications will also play a big part on the Apple Watch, a new interface has been built just to make usability even easier.

The Apple Watch is still one of the most anticipated smartwatch launches, despite companies like LG, Samsung, Motorola and Alcatel already launching Android alternatives.

Analysts predict up to 30 million sales in 2015 for Apple Watch, a huge number considering the first place smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, has only sold 1 million units in over a year. The large international pull could bring customers from China and Japan into smartwatches, even though the current trend seems to be phablets.

Apple will need to pull out all of the stops on the Apple Watch - but we still do not know the price-tag for the three available 'Editions' of the watch. 

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