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A7 Processor Manufactured by Samsung, M7 is Standalone Processor From NXP

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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Chipworks is performing a more in-depth examination of the iPhone 5s than the one performed by iFixit last night.

a7.png
Among its discoveries, Chipworks found that the A7 chip is manufactured by Samsung, a big win for that firm after rumors surfaced earlier this year that Taiwan Semiconductor Company (TSMC) might win the contract for the new chip. Code discovered in iOS 7 back in July did suggest that Samsung would remain the primary manufacturer for the A7.

Chipworks also found what it believes to be the M7 motion coprocessor, which iFixit dubbed the "magical" chip because it couldn't be found on the logic board during the original teardown. Instead, the M7 is a discrete processor from NXP:

m7.png
Luckily, we've been able to locate the M7 in the form the NXP LPC18A1. The LPC1800 series are high-performing Cortx-M3 based microcontrollers. This represents a big win for NXP. We had anticipated the M7 to be an NXP device based on input from industry analysts and our partners and we are happy to see this to be the case.

The M7 is dedicated to processing and translating the inputs provided to it by the discrete sensors; the gyroscope, accelerometer and electro magnetic compass mounted throughout the main printed circuit board. Traditional Apple techniques lead us to believe that the these discrete sensors will most likely be STMicroelectronics for the accelerometer and the gyroscope while the electro magnetic compass would again be an Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM). We have since confirmed the compass to be AKM's AK8963.
Click to expand...
Chipworks will be continuing its teardown throughout the day.

Article Link: A7 Processor Manufactured by Samsung, M7 is Standalone Processor From NXP
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/09/20/a7-processor-manufactured-by-samsung-m7-is-standalone-processor-from-nxp/
Yojimbo007

Yojimbo007

macrumors 6502a
Jun 13, 2012
693
576
I hate the fact that samsung is manufacturing this chip.
I dont feel comfortable with it...who knows what kind of insight that gives to this lowlife company!
 
K

kunai

macrumors regular
Jun 3, 2013
178
1
Cue fanboys who will buy the iPhone despite the fact that it has Samsung-made parts and then bash Samsung endlessly using pejoratives like "Scum$sung" in 3,

2,

1...
 
T

TWSS37

macrumors 65816
Feb 4, 2011
1,107
232
Head explosions about a chip being made by Samsung (for reasons why this truly bothers people on this forum, still unknown) in 3, 2...

----------
kunai said:
Cue fanboys who will buy the iPhone despite the fact that it has Samsung-made parts and then bash Samsung endlessly using pejoratives like "Scum$sung" in 3,

2,

1...
Click to expand...

lol. My personal favorite is "Samedung". ;)
 
K

kunai

macrumors regular
Jun 3, 2013
178
1
Yojimbo007 said:
I hate the fact that samsung is manufacturing this chip.
I dont feel comfortable with it...who knows what kind of insight that gives to this lowlife company!
Click to expand...

Then you need to grow up. Samsung makes the Retina display, the fastest SSD disks that Apple uses in the MacBook Pro Retina, and makes the best ARM chips in the industry.

If you can't handle that, you're a deluded fanboy, and they're not "a lowlife company." They make good products for those who want to have the best specs over a curated user experience.

Just because we prefer the iPhone does not make it justified to bash a company for making a phone with rounded corners, and especially one that makes 50% of the technology in your beloved Apple devices. Excellent technology, I may add; they're at the top of the industry with hardware. Nobody makes better chips or components than they do.
 
T

TWSS37

macrumors 65816
Feb 4, 2011
1,107
232
I've been warned before on this forum about alleged "trolling".

Posts like these, while informational, on the front page is essentially just trolling the users of this site.
 
notjustjay

notjustjay

macrumors 603
Sep 19, 2003
6,056
167
Canada, eh?
kunai said:
Cue fanboys who will buy the iPhone despite the fact that it has Samsung-made parts and then bash Samsung endlessly using pejoratives like "Scum$sung" in 3,

2,

1...
Click to expand...

TWSS37 said:
Head explosions about a chip being made by Samsung (for reasons why this truly bothers people on this forum, still unknown) in 3, 2...
Click to expand...

You guys are both too late, look at the posts above yours.

I don't know why people have such hate for Samsung. You know they make refrigerators, oil tankers, and sell life insurance and medical equipment too right? Are you going to dismiss all of those because you think their cell phone division copied Apple?

By the way, Chipworks is just down the street from where I'm sitting right now. Wish I could stroll over and see them working...
 
T

ToomeyND

macrumors 6502a
Sep 14, 2011
563
378
notjustjay said:
You guys are both too late, look at the posts above yours.

I don't know why people have such hate for Samsung. You know they make refrigerators, oil tankers, and sell life insurance and medical equipment too right? Are you going to dismiss all of those because you think their cell phone division copied Apple?

By the way, Chipworks is just down the street from where I'm sitting right now. Wish I could stroll over and see them working...
Click to expand...

I know first-hand that Samsung makes fantastic washer/dryer combos.
 
Renzatic

Renzatic

Suspended
Aug 3, 2011
9,561
10,118
Gramps, what the hell am I paying you for?
Risco said:
This proves that regardless of all the lawsuits, Samsung is still Apples lapdog.
Click to expand...

Or Apple is Samsung's depending on how you look at it. Sure, Apple has the popular product that use the chips, but Samsung makes the chips that make Apple's popular products go.

You'd think that if they could find someone else to do it, they would. But they keep delaying the transition...and delaying it...and delaying it.
 
C

cgk.emu

macrumors 6502
May 16, 2012
449
1
kunai said:
Then you need to grow up. Samsung makes the Retina display, the fastest SSD disks that Apple uses in the MacBook Pro Retina, and makes the best ARM chips in the industry.

If you can't handle that, you're a deluded fanboy, and they're not "a lowlife company." They make good products for those who want to have the best specs over a curated user experience.

Just because we prefer the iPhone does not make it justified to bash a company for making a phone with rounded corners, and especially one that makes 50% of the technology in your beloved Apple devices. Excellent technology, I may add; they're at the top of the industry with hardware. Nobody makes better chips or components than they do.
Click to expand...

I like the fact that you randomly register on forums just to bash people. Your last comment was extremely childish.
 
chrmjenkins

chrmjenkins

macrumors 603
Oct 29, 2007
5,325
158
MD
Contrast this to the leaked A7 from June (manufactured last year)

iphone_5S_chip.jpg


When I asked Anand Shimpi if that indeed was a TSMC test run, he just replied ";)"
 
iGrip

iGrip

macrumors 68000
Jul 1, 2010
1,626
0
It looks like Apple really, really needs Samsung.

The rumors were that TMSC got the A7 contract. Nope.
 
T

tonytiger13

macrumors regular
Jan 9, 2008
106
3
In a corporate business, that's one way of working it. Split the businesses into separate businesses that operate completely separate from one another. Sure they attach the name Samsung, which I love their TVs, but I'm just not an Android user. I love their fridges too. Oh and their processors. Samsung has to get the business of Apple even if one of their other arms are directly competing with them. They're completely different businesses that happen to have the same name.
 
chrmjenkins

chrmjenkins

macrumors 603
Oct 29, 2007
5,325
158
MD
iGrip said:
It looks like Apple really, really needs Samsung.

The rumors were that TMSC got the A7 contract. Nope.
Click to expand...

No, the latest rumors were that it didn't start until A8. As far as we know, it was correct. A8 remains to be seen.
 
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