The relationship between Apple and Samsung can’t be very good right now, but it seems in spite of Samsung’s loss to Apple in their legal battle, Apple still needs Samsung for a variety of components for their products, and Samsung probably needs Apple as a customer as well. There have been reports in the past that suggested that Apple was looking for alternative manufacturers to reduce their dependency on Samsung, and adding to the rumors is the latest one in which Apple has reportedly (via Bloomberg) offered TSMC over $1 billion for dedicated production of their chips.
However assuming the reports are correct, TSMC has turned Apple’s offer down because the company did not wish to be tied to a single customer and wanted to be more “agile” in the market. If this seems a little far-fetched, it’s not because last month in a statement to its investors, TSMC’s Chairman Morris Chang was quoted as saying that he was willing to devote one or two factories to a single customer. We’re not sure why he would decline Apple’s offer despite saying that, but perhaps given Apple’s current worth and the amount of money they could be making from iOS devices that use the AX chip, their bid might have been too low.