Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem Chip Business
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Re: Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem Chip Business
#2This worries me. Wouldn't this leave us with Qualcomm once again the only manafacturer of cellular modems for everyone else? I somehow doubt Apple would keep supplying the Intel parts to any other OEMs.
Re: Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem Chip Business
#3This worries me. Wouldn't this leave us with Qualcomm once again the only manafacturer of cellular modems for everyone else? I somehow doubt Apple would keep supplying the Intel parts to any other OEMs.
Nobody except Apple bought the Intel parts anyway (possibly because they were absolute flaming garbage relative to Qualcomm’s products), which is why we’re in this position in the first place.
Re: Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem Chip Business
#4This worries me. Wouldn't this leave us with Qualcomm once again the only manafacturer of cellular modems for everyone else? I somehow doubt Apple would keep supplying the Intel parts to any other OEMs.
> Wouldn't this leave us with Qualcomm once again the only manafacturer of cellular modems for everyone else?
They already are.
Re: Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem Chip Business
#5This worries me. Wouldn't this leave us with Qualcomm once again the only manafacturer of cellular modems for everyone else? I somehow doubt Apple would keep supplying the Intel parts to any other OEMs.
Everyone already has to pay a % of the end device whether or not they use Qualcomm parts, regardless of the cost of the device. Because Qualcomm is only interested in “standards” where they are the only provider so get to cut anyone who doesn’t accept their novel interpretation of FRAND
Re: Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem Chip Business
#6This worries me. Wouldn't this leave us with Qualcomm once again the only manafacturer of cellular modems for everyone else? I somehow doubt Apple would keep supplying the Intel parts to any other OEMs.
Nobody except Apple bought the Intel parts anyway (possibly because they were absolute flaming garbage relative to Qualcomm’s products), which is why we’re in this position in the first place.
Wasnt ericsson supposed to buy a buncha intel modems?
Re: Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem Chip Business
#7This worries me. Wouldn't this leave us with Qualcomm once again the only manafacturer of cellular modems for everyone else? I somehow doubt Apple would keep supplying the Intel parts to any other OEMs.
Everyone already has to pay a % of the end device whether or not they use Qualcomm parts, regardless of the cost of the device. Because Qualcomm is only interested in “standards” where they are the only provider so get to cut anyone who doesn’t accept their novel interpretation of FRAND
If I'm not mistaken Qualcomm recently lost the lawsuit related to their licensing process. Not sure if it's in appeals now or not though.
Re: Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem Chip Business
#8This worries me. Wouldn't this leave us with Qualcomm once again the only manafacturer of cellular modems for everyone else? I somehow doubt Apple would keep supplying the Intel parts to any other OEMs.
> Wouldn't this leave us with Qualcomm once again the only manafacturer of cellular modems for everyone else? I somehow doubt Apple would keep supplying the Intel parts to any other OEMs.
This could go either way.
Apple is clearly doing this because they want to give Qualcomm the finger. But if they really want to do that then they do sell parts to any other OEM.
Most of the devices these radios go in don't actually compete with Apple products. The largest volume is in low end phones and things with radios that aren't even phones, like base stations and smart meters. Apple could sell the chips for commodity prices and make a bit of profit for itself while still undercutting Qualcomm and making them hurt bad in the volume segment of the market where Apple doesn't otherwise compete but where Qualcomm makes a lot of its money.
Re: Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem Chip Business
#9I think the real risk here is Apple sucking the profitability out of the high end modem business. Qualcomm makes most of their high end modem money out of Apple. The other flagship Android phone makers may not be a big enough market to justify Qualcomm developing the very costly high end modems they need. That could leave Apple as the only manufacturer with the best modems.
We’re at least a few years away from that possibility, especially given the poor state of the Intel modem technology, but if Apple can pull this off they’ll have yet another technological exclusive differentiating feature. This time, one truly central to the platform technology.
Re: Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem Chip Business
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nobody except Apple bought the Intel parts anyway (possibly because they were absolute flaming garbage relative to Qualcomm’s products), which is why we’re in this position in the first place.
Wasnt ericsson supposed to buy a buncha intel modems?
IIRC that deal was Ericsson fabbing their LTE & 5G basestations on Intel's 10nm process, but Intel's 10nm process can't produce large working chips in volume (and likely never will), which has kneecapped Ericsson as a cellular vendor.