Despite recent lawsuits and patent infringement accusations, Samsung’s A6 quad-core mobile processor chips will power Apple’s next release of the iPhone, The Korea Times reported Monday.
The two technology giants have been conducting raging legal battles for months, stemming from Apple’s accusation that Samsung’s Galaxy tablets and phones were based almost exactly on iPad and iPhone patents.
Last week, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Apple has been granted a temporary injunction preventing Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet sales in Australia, with a full hearing expected to take place in 2012. Apple has also been granted injunctions banning Samsung Galaxy tablets and phones in Germany and The Netherlands.
Samsung, in response, has filed for preliminary injunctions against sales of the iPhone 4S in courts in Tokyo and in New South Wales, Australia, according to The Wall Street Journal. Samsung is also pursuing a ban on iPhone 4S and iPad 2 sales in Japan.
While Apple and Samsung have yet to make legal amends, the business partnership between the two appears unscathed.
Apple reportedly spoke with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) about supplying chips for the new iPhone, but the advanced 28-nanometer processing technology touted by Samsung’s A6 processors evidently led Apple to reconsider this move.
"Apple has been in talks with Samsung over shipment of its A6 quad-core mobile processor chips to be used in the next iPhone. It appears that Apple clearly has concluded that Samsung remains a critical business partner,” an executive from a Korean-based Apple parts supplier told The Korea Times, requesting anonymity. “Samsung Electronics will apply its advanced 28-nanometer processing technology to produce qualified A6 mobile APs. TSMC will provide customized chips with designs from Apple, however, the volume will be very small.”
