Apple Looking To Remove Samsung From Its Supply Chain?

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We’ve been following the Apple / Samsung lawsuits for some time now, from first insults to greater insults to possible reconciliation to no hope of reconciliation and beyond. But now, the lawsuit and surrounding war appears to be escalating, with some reports saying Apple’s looking to get Samsung out of its production supply line altogether.

We know that Samsung and Apple have been working together on much of the Apple portable line for some time now. At last report, Apple was one of Samsung’s biggest clients at several billion dollars a year, buying chips and displays and the like. But then the lawsuits started in, on both sides, with Apple accusing Samsung of something like theft, and Samsung throwing patent infringement claims back at Apple.

But the current word says this may be the kiss of death for a hefty chunk of Samsung’s business, with the A6 chip set to hit in 2012, and Apple considering entirely new manufacturers for its new chip. Reports suggest that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is the most likely replacement, and that stands to put a serious crimp in Samsung’s operation.

Oh, it won’t kill it, no doubt there–Samsung is still one of the better home theater component makers out there, and if they keep going with the smartphone thing (which they may or may not once Apple gets through with them) they’ll have a whole new sector of business to work with. After all, they do make a good chunk of Apple’s chips, and that’s a marketing tool to really make some hay with (Apple Inside, anyone?)–but it will do some significant damage to the bottom line.

So what do you guys think here? Has Samsung signed its own death warrant with the various lawsuits and the new mobile line? Or has Samsung kicked off a whole new stream of business independent from (and likely less lucrative than) Apple? The comments section is waiting, so head on down and tell us what you think!