It looks like Apple could be using assembly partner FoxConn for an increased production of its MacBook Pro notebooks.
A current rumor from the upstream supply chain states that while Apple may not be planning a major update to its MacBook Pro notebook line this year, Apple will be shifting a major portion of its MacBook orders to Foxconn in 2018, instead of providing the majority of its orders to Quanta Computer. Foxconn is apparently expected to start fulfilling the new orders with mass MacBook Pro shipments in the second quarter.
While it’s believed Foxconn will see more MacBook orders this year, it’s also believed that Quanta will continue to be Apple’s biggest supplier throughout 2018. DigiTimes’ research indicates that Quanta has shipped four times as many MacBooks as Foxconn over the last five years, with Quanta taking 79.5 percent of orders in 2017 compared to Foxconn’s 20.5 percent.
Foxconn is said to have increased its pursuit of additional MacBook orders from Apple in the past few years, offering attractive quotes to tempt Apple over to its side. Signs of this effort’s success surfaced in late 2017, after Apple started outsourcing some of its MacBook assembly to a Foxconn plant in Shenzhen, China.
It is arguable that Apple has more incentive to update its notebook lines sooner than later. Revealed earlier this month, the Meltdown and Spectre chip flaws included in Intel processors could warrant a change in chip to a new model constructed without the flaws, which pose a security risk to consumers and businesses alike.
Apple may be looking to adopt Intel’s new Titan Ridge chipset for Thunderbolt 3. This upgrade, if executed, would enable DisplayPort 1.4 connections, allow 8K screens to run at 30Hz without compression and be able to fall back to USB 3.1 speeds if a connection does not involve a Thunderbolt 3 host.
There is also the outside chance of Apple adopting a whole new type of processor. Intel recently launched G-series processors that combine an Intel CPU with an AMD Radeon RX Vega M GPU, effectively providing all the power of a discrete GPU on one physical chip while saving space and weight.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and DigiTimes