A6 chip to reach iPad 3 later in 2012, says analyst

Getting new processor technology out the door (remember, Apple is also in the chip design business) is a Herculean task for even seasoned chip manufacturers like Intel.It will certainly be no different for Apple, whose next chip, dubbed the "A6," may not make an appearance in the iPad 3 until later in 2012, said The Linley Group, a chip consulting firm. If Apple keeps to its schedule and launches an iPad 3 in the first quarter of 2012, the initial version of the iPad 3 "will have to use the same A5 processor as the current iPad 2, relying on the rumored new high-resolution 'Retina' dis­play to drive the upgrade cycle," Linley Group senior analyst Kevin Krewell said this week in a research note. Krewell adds that he expects the quad-core A6 will be competitive with next year's best mobile processors, including an expected quad-core offering from Nvidia. That Nvidia chip is expected to power both Android and Windows 8 devices, including tablets and laptops."Fabricating Apple's A6 in 28nm (instead of the 40nm process Nvidia is using for its quad-core part) will reduce both die cost and power, yielding a much better product," he said. Updated on October 26 at 10:25 a.m. PST: with clarification about Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).It is not clear now whether TSMC will make Apple's A6 processor.Samsung may continue to make Apple A series chips.