Apple's suppliers, including contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and packager Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) which have entered the vendor's supply chain, are all expected to report particularly strong results for the first quarter of 2013, market observers believe.

Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPad and iPhone series around the middle of 2013, which will boost demand for ICs in particular communications related chips during the latter half of the first quarter, according to the observers. Component orders placed by Apple, which climbed to high levels prior to the iPhone 5 rollout, will rise again between March and April, the observers indicated.

TSMC's overall utilization rate, for instance, is set to contract in January and February due to a slowdown in customer orders, the observers said. However, utilization rate will pick up and grow substantially in March.

Meanwhile, backend service provider ASE will also enjoy brisk orders for communications ICs in the first quarter of 2013, the observers pointed out.

TSMC saw its consolidated revenues hit an all-time high in October 2012. The foundry expects to post an about 8% sales decrease in the fourth quarter of 2012 followed by another sequential dip in first-quarter 2013.

TSMC has not directly grabbed orders from Apple, but has secured contract-manufacturing orders for many ICs used in the iOS devices.

ASE COO Tien Wu said previously that demand coming from the smartphone sector would help ASE enjoy a particularly strong first quarter. ASE has guided for a shipment increase of 3-5% sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Qualcomm reportedly is among ASE's major clients.