iPhone 5 Starting to Take Shape with A8 Chip

Apple has begun sourcing components for its next-generation iPhone 5, according to a Chinese language Apple Daily report.

The Cupertino giant reportedly chose Qualcomm for the baseband chip and a faster ARM chip for the processor, 9to5mac.com concludes, based on a rough translation of the report.

A new name is mentioned in Apple’s supply chain - Kinsus Interconnect Technology.

Qualcomm’s baseband chipsets are known to use Kinsus IC substrates, the report says.

Apple is reportedly moving towards an upgrade to its iPhone processor, replacing the custom-built A4 chip with a variant of ARM’s A8 processor, though not necessarily migrating to multi-core. Apple is expected to do so in 2012.

The report adds that Qualcomm sources FC-CSP substrates from Kinsus and South Korea’s Semco.

Kinsus may well account for 30-40% of the iPhone 5 orders, the story continues, while orders are expected to land towards the end of the Q1 2011.

Finally, Apple’s iPhone 5 “seems” to be scheduled for a Q2 official unveiling.

With the seeding of iOS 4.3 betas to developers earlier this week, Apple indirectly confirmed not only the existence of three new iPads, but also new-generation iPhone models.

At least two of the pieces of hardware designated in various code strings found in the iOS SDK are believed to be CDMA and GSM versions of Apple’s iPhone 5.

Moreover, people who are allegedly familiar with the activity on Apple’s Cupertino campus are claiming to have learned that employees are already testing next-generation iPads and iPhones which bear no physical Home buttons.

The move, reportedly sought by CEO Steve Jobs himself, was allegedly on the table even before the original iPhone came out.