Locator: 48842APPLE.
The iPhone 17 Pro: $50 more than its predecessor, the iPhone 16 Pro.
BUT it will come with a minimum of 256 GB of storage -- wow! This doubles the base capacity compared to last year's model.
Meanwhile, rumors are already swirling around the iPhone 18, link here.
Apple's A20 chip in the iPhone 18 will be packaged with TSMC's Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) technology, according to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. This change has been rumored by multiple other sources previously.
More and more, "transistor count, no longer matters, as an important metric. See below the fold.
Link here, from June 22:
From ChatGPT:
WMCM is TSMC’s approach to doing this at the wafer level before the chips are fully cut apart, which allows:
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Tighter integration – Shorter electrical paths between chips (lower latency, higher bandwidth).
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Higher performance – Can mix and match the best chips for each function (logic, memory, I/O) in a single module.
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Better thermals – More control over heat dissipation compared to traditional multi-chip setups.
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Lower power use – Less energy wasted moving data between chips.
Think of it like this: instead of building multiple small buildings (chips) and connecting them with long streets (traces in a circuit board), you’re constructing them inside the same city block with underground tunnels — everything is faster and closer together.
Why it matters right now:
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AI accelerators, data center processors, and flagship phone chips (like Apple’s or Nvidia’s) increasingly use multiple chiplets instead of giant monolithic dies, because it’s easier to manufacture and yields are higher.
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WMCM is TSMC’s answer to competing approaches like Intel’s Foveros or AMD’s Infinity Fabric — but with their signature scale and foundry integration.
Headlines:
These are incredible advances, and note that Intel is again not mentioned.
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More And More, Transistor Counts No Longer Matter
- Updated July 8, 2025, and shown at this link.
- September 21, 2025
