And it doesn’t matter.
“Honestly, I don’t think the standard iPhone 14 [needs to] have an A16 chip.
Why, Apple?
Daniel Romero / Unsplash
The famous world chip shortage doesnt really affect custom production lines like Apples A-series and M-series that much.
Theshortage is primarily with smaller commodity chips, years-old designs used alongside custom processors.
So theres not necessarily a shortage of A-series chips.
Giorgio Trovato / Unsplash
Why, then, would Apple stop putting the latest chips in all its iPhones?
Take a look at the way Tim Cooks Apple does business.
It likes to keep old models around for years after theyre replaced in the lineup.
it’s possible for you to still buy a2019 iPhone 11 today, for example.
Its also easier to keep making the same product rather than gearing up for a new one every year.
Old Model
The iPhone chips are fast.
The M1 has a lot of extras, but the takeaway is the A15 is no slouch.
The M1 iPads (currently the iPad Pro and Air) have trouble using all that power.
Their simplified operating systems cannot push the boundaries in the way a more flexible Mac can.
I have a 2018 iPad Pro, and its not even close to needing a replacement.
That iPad runs on the A12X Bionic, three generations behind the A15.
Forget about staying ahead of the competition.
Apple is already too far ahead of itself.
Another is that it will be possible for Apple to get more creative with its chip designs.
One huge problem when you work at iPhone scale is getting enough parts.
Say you decide you want a fancy new camera on your next phone.
Your supplier needs to be able to make them in the tens of millions.
That rules out a lot of cutting-edge tech.
Perhaps the same holds for chip design.
And that’s just fine.
