1. TSMC's 3nm process technology has entered mass production, but faces challenges in yield rates and adoption; 2. Apple remains the primary customer for TSMC's 3nm chips, while other companies hesitate due to high costs; 3. Technical bottlenecks and market demand uncertainties may impact TSMC's leadership in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
Recent #Apple news in the semiconductor industry
➀ A variety of Apple MacBook laptops are on sale, with some models at all-time low prices;
➁ The cheapest model is the 13.3-inch MacBook Air, available for $599 at Walmart;
➂ The 2025 MacBook Air is available for $799 at Amazon, featuring a 13.6-inch display and Apple's latest M4 silicon.
1. TSMC achieves a breakthrough in 2nm chip manufacturing technology, solidifying its lead in advanced semiconductor processes; 2. Apple secures initial orders for 2nm chips, likely for future iPhones and Macs; 3. Intel faces challenges in catching up with TSMC's process advancements amid foundry market competition.
➀ Amazon offers unprecedented discounts on Apple's M4 MacBook Air, with the 13-inch model dropping to $799 and the 15-inch model to $999, both $200 below MSRP;
➁ These deals significantly undercut Apple's official student promotion, which includes free AirPods but retains higher base prices;
➂ Featuring the powerful M4 chip, upgraded camera, and multiple configurations, the MacBook Air remains a top choice for students and professionals alike.
➀ Foldable phones hold a stagnant 1.6% market share in 2025, with Samsung leading at 45.2%;
➁ Huawei, Honor, Lenovo, and Xiaomi show growth, while Apple's 2026 entry with a new model may boost market adoption;
➂ Apple's foldable phone in late 2026 could drive the segment into mainstream amid low 19.8 million unit shipments in a 1.25 billion smartphone market.
1. TSMC secures Apple's full order for 2nm process chips, solidifying its leadership in advanced semiconductor manufacturing; 2. Intel's foundry business faces significant setbacks as it loses key clients and struggles with technological competitiveness; 3. The development intensifies competition in global chip manufacturing, with TSMC and Samsung dominating cutting-edge processes while Intel attempts strategic adjustments.
➀ Cyberpunk 2077 was tested on four Apple Silicon MacBooks, showing M3 Max's 40-core GPU achieving 104 FPS with MetalFX upscaling.
➁ Base M4 MacBook Pro delivered 26-38 FPS, while the unsupported M1 MacBook Air struggled at 12 FPS despite quality upscaling.
➂ CrossOver compatibility layer tests revealed only minor performance loss, hinting at future optimizations for Apple Silicon gaming.
➀ Amazon再次降价销售Apple AirPods 4，现价89.99美元，比原价低30%；
➁ AirPods 4配备了与AirPods Pro 2相同的H2芯片，但无主动降噪功能；
➂ 另一款推荐耳机为OnePlus Buds 4，售价99美元，支持LHDC 5.0和3D音频。
1. TSMC secures all Apple's 3nm chip orders, consolidating its leadership in advanced semiconductor manufacturing; 2. Samsung faces challenges in competing with TSMC due to lower yields and technical limitations in its 3nm process; 3. The development highlights TSMC's dominance in cutting-edge chip production and Apple's reliance on its manufacturing capabilities.
➀ Q2 smartphone sales rose 1% YoY to 295.2 million units, amid challenges like economic uncertainty, inflation, and geopolitical factors;
➁ Samsung led with 19.7% market share (7.9% growth), driven by new Galaxy models, while Apple and Xiaomi saw modest gains;
➂ Low-end Android segment declined due to price sensitivity, dragging down overall market expansion.
➀ The Beelink Mate Mini is an external Thunderbolt 5 dock designed to add dual M.2 SSD storage and expand connectivity for Apple Mac Mini, offering a cost-effective alternative to Apple's internal storage upgrades.
➁ It features two M.2 slots, a 2.5GbE port, SD card reader, USB-A ports, and a headphone jack, with a design matching the Mac Mini's footprint for stacking compatibility.
➂ While the dock provides flexible mounting options (top or bottom), its placement may obstruct the Mac Mini's power button, requiring trade-offs between aesthetics and functionality.
➀ Apple Mac Mini M4 hits record-low price at £499.99 with M4 chip and 16GB RAM;
➁ NVIDIA RTX 50 series GPUs see significant discounts: RTX 5070 at £479 and RTX 5070 Ti at £739;
➂ Corsair 360mm liquid cooler and Crucial 64GB DDR5 RAM kits offer 20%+ savings for PC upgrades.
1. Apple COO Jeff Williams announces retirement after 27 years with the company; 2. Williams played a key role in Apple Watch development and operations; 3. Sabih Khan, a 30-year Apple veteran, will succeed Williams as COO.
➀ Apple's AirPods lineup hits record-low prices during Amazon Prime Day, with AirPods Pro 2 dropping to $149;
➁ Four models available: AirPods 4 ($89), AirPods 4 with ANC ($119), AirPods Pro 2 ($149), and AirPods Max ($399);
➂ AirPods 4 with ANC recommended as the best value, offering noise cancellation and wireless charging at 34% off.
➀ The 7th generation iPad mini is available for $399 on Amazon, saving 20%;
➁ The 14.2-inch Apple MacBook Pro is on sale for $1,429 on Amazon, saving 11%;
➂ Additional deals include the 11-inch iPad (A16, 128GB) for $299, 11-inch iPad Pro (M4, 256GB) for $899, AirTag 4-Pack for $74.99, Mac mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $545.92, and iMac All-In-One Desktop (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $1,184.65.
1. TSMC achieves mass production of 3nm chips, with Apple as a key client for future iPhones; 2. The breakthrough strengthens TSMC's leadership in advanced chip manufacturing, impacting competitors like AMD and NVIDIA; 3. 3nm technology enables higher performance and energy efficiency, driving innovation in AI, 5G, and autonomous vehicles.
➀ A 27-year-old Easter egg hidden in Apple's Power Mac G3 ROM was uncovered, revealing a secret developer team photo when a RAM disk named 'secret ROM image' is created;
➁ Discoverer Doug Brown used reverse engineering tools like Ghidra to trace the trigger mechanism, with collaboration from the retro computing community;
➂ The Easter egg highlights Apple's pre-Steve Jobs era culture, contrasting with later policies banning such hidden features in products like iMac and modern macOS.
➀ Amazon's upcoming Prime Day event is scheduled for two and a half weeks from now, but you can already find a great deal on the 2024 Mac Mini;
➁ The latest version of Apple's compact system is now priced at $469 on Amazon, marking a 22% discount and the lowest price ever;
➂ The M4 silicon inside features a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine, along with 16GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD.
➀ Key Asian countries and the U.S. show rising electronics production growth, with India leading at 15% 3/12 growth in March 2025;
➁ U.S. smartphone imports plummeted 45% in April 2025 due to shifting production to India (Apple) and Vietnam (Samsung), driven by Trump administration’s tariff threats;
➂ Proposed U.S. tariffs caused market uncertainty, with potential inventory shortages and price hikes expected to reshape smartphone supply chains.
➀ Apple's Senior VP Johny Srouji announced the use of generative AI in chip design via EDA tools, aiming to accelerate development cycles；
➀ Apple's shift to in-house Silicon (M-series) transformed consumer computing, relying on industry collaborations with EDA leaders Cadence and Synopsys；
➂ Global tech firms like NVIDIA invest in AI infrastructure, highlighting AI's pivotal role in industrial innovation.