Next-gen iPhone chip still in development – Rumour

Mon Jun 1 2009, 18:32 PM

Apple's own custom-built chips, rumoured to be in development for a mobile or netbook-style device, are not expected to be ready for at least five months, according to reports. This means Apple’s updated iPhone line, expected to launch next week, will contain a newer version of the device's existing Samsung chip, according to industry predictions.

Apple is widely expected to launch its next generation of iPhone at its Worldwide Developers Conference next week. The claim that the device will run on an updated version of the iPhone's existing single-core Samsung processor suggests the device will not differ drastically from existing iPhone models.

The report claims that the update will keep Apple competitive against the Palm Pre and other new entrants to the smartphone market, while buying more time for Apple to finish developing its own multi-core chips. Varying predictions claim this could take between five and nine months to complete. Envisioneering Group research director Richard Doherty predicts the new chip will allow the iPhone to process two tasks at the same time.

Speculation has grown over recent months that Apple is set to developing its own chip line. This follows its acquisition of chip maker PA Semi in April 2008 for USD278m and Apple's recent appointment of a number of prominent semiconductor executives.

Apple's search for developers familiar with the NEON extended instruction set hints that Apple has also acquired a licence from UK chip firm ARM to develop processors based on its designs, Forbes claims.

In a recent research note, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster predicts that Apple will launch a touch-screen tablet computer in the first half of next year in a bid to compete in the increasingly lucrative netbook market. He based the claim on Apple’s microprocessor developments, along with the filing of a number of multi-touch sensitivity patents.