At first it sounded like a silly joke, but after repeated reports, Apple’s decision is now slowly becoming a certainty – the iPhone 14 will not be given a new chip, has to come to terms with old technology and is thus losing its bite.
A recent report from Taiwan does not bode well for the upcoming iPhone 14. Accordingly, only the two Pro models will be equipped with a new chip from Apple. The two standard models, on the other hand, are virtually knocked out and have to be content with the well-known Apple A15 (Source: TrendForce).
iPhone 14 only with an old chip: Apple is holding back the A16
This finding is not new, because Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo spoke about it back in March. When Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman picked up and confirmed the rumor in April, there was almost no longer any doubt about Apple’s dramatic decision. So the latest news is just the icing on the cake. But what are Apple’s reasons for taking this step?
Apart from a stronger differentiation of the individual models, Gurman suspects the ongoing shortage of chips as a possible cause. As a result, Apple does not get enough copies of the A16 chip to install it in the standard model. A novelty, because until now every new flagship cell phone from Apple has also had the latest chip.
There was a similar case in 2013. iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were launched at the same time, but only one of the phones had the latest chip. But the iPhone 5c was not a real new iPhone:
Worth noting: Only once did a new iPhone get an older chip. This was the case in 2013, when the new iPhone 5c had to make do with the Apple A6 of the previous year’s iPhone 5 and didn’t get the A7. However, the colorful plastic cell phone was not really a new model, but rather a cheaper new edition of the iPhone 5.
Reflections on Apple’s unusual move:
Is Apple reaching into the marketing bag of tricks?
The only question is how Apple will then sell us this decision in the fall. The manufacturer may use a trick, give the A15 an irrelevant suffix and can thus disguise the austerity tactics. However, this is only speculation at the moment, there will be certainty in September when the iPhone 14 is presented.