Australia Flags Child Safety Gaps at Apple, Meta, Google Over Online Sexual Extortion 
Arm Stock Falls After HSBC Downgrade, Citing Limited Near-Term AI Upside 
Nvidia Invests $500M in Firmus Technologies Ahead of Planned ASX IPO 
SK Hynix Shares Drop After Strong Nasdaq Debut Despite $26 Billion ADR Listing 
Yaskawa Electric Shares Slide as Weak Profit Overshadows Strong AI Demand 
Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong Expected to Meet Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on AI and Chip Partnership 
Bain Capital Exits Kioxia After AI-Fueled Valuation Surge 
Samsung to Launch First Yongin Chip Plant by 2029 as South Korea Speeds Up Semiconductor Hub 
Apple Tests China's CXMT Memory Chips as DRAM Maker Gains Global Market Share 
Apple Intelligence Cleared for China as Alibaba and Baidu AI Power iPhone Features 
Apple Sues OpenAI, Former Employees Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft 
Morgan Stanley Says China’s Reusable Rocket Progress Poses Long-Term Challenge to SpaceX 
SK Hynix Soars 13% in Nasdaq Debut After Record $26.5 Billion IPO 
SoftBank Corp Partners With Sierra to Expand AI Customer Support Across Japan 
Wolfspeed Sues Navitas Over GaN and SiC Patent Infringement 
OpenAI Executive Fidji Simo to Step Down Amid Health Challenges Ahead of IPO 
Apple’s operating system updates sometimes give away clues about upcoming hardware products for those that know where to look. This time, the fifth beta version of iOS 14.5 reportedly contains clues hinting at the existence of the A14X chip. It is expected to power the upcoming iPad Pro tablets.
iPad Pro will be powered by the A14X chip
9To5Mac analyzed the iOS 14.5 beta 5 code and reported that it is making a reference to a GPU from a processor codenamed “13G.” Since the clue was found on an iOS update, it is then very likely that the chip will be released for Apple’s mobile devices.
However, there is no Apple device available in the market right now that uses a chip with the 13G codename that led to the possibility that it could be a new model of the Bionic chip. The same report concluded that the 13G is likely the upcoming A14X processor upon considering Apple’s previous naming patterns for the chipsets it has developed.
The most interesting information to come out of the iOS 15.5 beta 5 code is that the rumored A14X was also found to be based on a processor identified as “T8103.” The same report noted that this was the same codename used for the Apple Silicon M1 processor. It can be recalled that Bloomberg reported earlier this month that Apple is developing the next series of iPad Pro that will be powered with the A14X chip, which is expected to perform “on par” with the M1 processor. Apple launched the M1 chip in late 2020 on the latest models of MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini.
iPad Pro release date in April?
Finding these tidbits of clues about the iPad Pro processor around this time also says something about the tablets’ release date. With references being made to the A14X chip in the iOS 14.5 beta 5 code, that means the software update and the upcoming hardware product could have launch schedules close to one another.
Bloomberg noted that the iPad Pro 2021 series could be released as early as April. And it is worth noting that Apple’s spring-time event is expected to take place next month after the rumored March 23 launch did not happen.
Featured photo by Jeremy Zero on Unsplash
