Apple's TSMC Leak Aimed Squarely At Samsung And Its Investors

This is another one of Apple's perfectly timed leak aimed. And the intended audience is an audience of one:  Samsung.

Maybe you've heard of TSMC.  They are a Taiwanese chip foundry and Apple is currently working with them to see if their skills are up to snuff to be Apple's main chip supplier their next generation of iOS devices.  

According to Reuters, whether TSMC gets the order and how much of it will depend largely on yield.  In the post, an analyst based on Seoul said something that was interesting.  Apple and Samsung have had a deep and long relationship.  It won't be an easy breakup.  He also asserted that there are intellectual property issues that will make it hard for Apple to remove itself from Samsung.  I'm not sure about that point since Apple's own team designed their chips.

How will Samsung take this TSMC leak?  I think they were expecting something like this already and there could be some panicky shareholders or the Korean public who might want to know what Samsung is doing to clear up this mess with Apple.  

Furthermore, Apple probably learned a very valuable lesson from all this as well.  Trusting a partner to the level Apple is doing with Samsung, who works with you and competes with your products in the multiple markets, isn't a good idea.

Oh, and let's not forget that Apple is about to compete in the HDTV market.  I'm pretty sure Apple will solicit bids from all parties but it will look mighty hard at someone else other than Samsung.  Also, if you think negotiating with Apple is difficult now, wait until Samsung tries to get its HDTV business.

Reuters has more details.