3nm A18 for all? Why a single chip for all iPhone 16 models is a great decision by Apple،
Last week brought us the good news: next year, Apple will no longer offer vanilla iPhone models with last year's Pro processor. Kind of.
iPhone 16's A18 chip means less fragmentation
Remember how Apple played the fragmentation card every time it wanted to denigrate Android? Well, this recent trend of releasing sibling iPhone models with different SoCs and other hardware capabilities makes us wonder if we are not in a period of fragmentation, but this time in Apple's backyard.
Not only is Apple's iPhone lineup now split into 4 distinct models (not including the SE), but having different performance and camera features has made things even more complex. If this differentiation goes further, Apple could find itself in a delicate situation.
For starters, increased iPhone model differentiation (ahem, fragmentation) could make it difficult for consumers to choose the model that's best for them. And it is not excluded that forcing users to all this exercise of exploration, comparison of functionalities, specifications, models, etc. can expose them to alternative products on the market. I don't know if this would be a result that Apple would benefit from.
But having to maintain increasingly different hardware models would also make things difficult for Apple. Every little difference should be considered when developing new iOS software or maintaining current software. Let's not forget that tightly integrated hardware and software have always been Apple's greatest advantage. As the hardware portfolio diversifies, this strength will naturally be compromised.
And, perhaps most obvious, but having less differentiation between iPhone models naturally means a more consistent user experience, which is generally a good thing. Because, if this fragmentation continues, it would not be unthinkable to have applications that work on Pro iPhones, but which are not supported on vanilla iPhones.
Such a result would definitely be zero. We're already seeing a fragment of such a reality, with desktop games like Resident Evil Village only being supported on iPhone 15 Probut not the iPhone15.
There is a fine line between universal fragmentation and unproductive fragmentation, but current rumors that iPhone16 The lineup will all ship with 3nm N3E A18 chips, so even though they're slightly different, it makes me cautiously optimistic that Apple has it under control for now.