Apple’s Newton platform was considered to be ahead of its time, even though Steve Jobs eventually axed the iPhone-like device when he made his return back to Apple. But even though the Newton was futuristic, it could have been even better if Apple had listened to Qualcomm’s advice.
During an interview with Charlie Rose, Qualcomm’s CEO Paul Jacobs said that he tried to convince Apple to put a radio chip in the Newton PDA during the 90s, but was shot down, so he struck up a deal with Palm instead.
Qualcomm, the company that manufactures Apple’s baseband chips for iOS devices, has slammed the Cupertino company in an official ITC filing over its response to questions regarding the availability of injunctive relief over SEPs and criteria for FRAND royalty rates.
Qualcomm says Apple’s thoughts on the subject are a “sham,” that the company “should be ashamed of itself.”
It seems like we’ve been waiting for Sharp IGZO technology to solve all of our battery life problems forever now. Unfortunately, Sharp hasn’t just been slow to get the exciting display tech out on the market… they’ve also struggled with financial issues relating to their core business that have threatened to put the Japanese company under.
Luckily, it looks like Sharp might be saved, with Qualcomm now apparently investing up to $120 million in Sharp, specifically to get IGZO displays out there to the masses.
Exclusivity to TSMC’s production would make things very difficult for Apple’s competitors.
In an effort to better meet the demand of its mobile devices — and make things very difficult for its competitors — Apple has reportedly been bidding to secure exclusive access to TSMC’s (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.) custom smartphone chips. Qualcomm has also been bidding up against the Cupertino company, and both parties are believed to have submitted bids in excess of $1 billion.
Chipset maker Qualcomm today announced its plans for a universal LTE chip that would be perfect for a truly 4G iPhone. Apple’s next iPhone is rumored to feature 4G LTE networking, and Qualcomm’s upcoming chip would allow the device to operate on AT&T and Verizon’s 700 MHz 4G LTE bands. Phones haven’t been able to support multiple blocks of spectrum on the 700 MHz band, but Qualcomm’s upcoming chip would allow a smartphone to take full advantage of LTE speeds on multiple carriers.
Fortune may value Apple, but apparently not as an employer
Apple made it into the top 20 companies on the Fortune 500, nabbing 17th place – an impressive feat for a company that ranked at number 71 just three years ago. When it comes to ensuring a happy workforce, however, Apple didn’t measure up to Fortune’s standards.
Fortune’s list of the 20 best employers drawn from its list the 500 top companies was published over the weekend. Apple didn’t make the list, though some of its competitors did. One of them actually topped the list – Google.
The next iPhone could have faster speeds than your home's DSL.
Many have speculated that Apple’s next iPhone will have lightning fast LTE ’4G’ networking speeds. Chipset maker Qualcomm has been experiencing incredible demand for its next generation 28-nanometer LTE chips, and industry watchers are saying that device markers are having to adjust their LTE product roadmaps accordingly for 2012.
This news could be a factor in why Apple’s sixth-gen iPhone probably won’t hit the shelves this summer if it does indeed come with LTE. Instead, analysts are predicting an October rollout, mimicking the iPhone 4S launch just last year.
In the latest patent war saga, a Dutch court ruled that Samsung cannot assert 3G patents against Apple products using Qualcomm’s baseband chips — as Samsung has a licensing deal with the U.S. chipmaker — thus denying their bid to ban the sales of the iPhone and iPad in the Netherlands. However, Samsung didn’t consider the ruling a complete loss as the Hague court also ruled that Samsung could seek damages over the use of Intel chips. While Apple doesn’t use Intel chips, this gives Samsung ammunition against those that do.
As Google’s proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility waits for approval from the courts, Apple has fired back at Motorola in the U.S. over a licensing agreement with chipset-maker Qualcomm.
Motorola recently sued Apple over wireless technology in its iOS devices with a patent that Apple is now using to cite the licensing violation with Qualcomm. The retaliation from Apple is meant to suffocate any patent violation claims that Motorola was asserting before to the courts.
Apple has been forced to cease online sales of its iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and 3G-equipped iPad 2 in Germany after Motorola triumphed over the Cupertino company in a Mannheim court, securing an injunction against several of its 3G devices. Those affected are no longer available to purchase from Apple’s online store, though they can still be obtained from its retail stores.
![Apple Attempts To Purchase Exclusive Access To TSMC’s Smartphone Chips [Report]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/tsmc.jpg "tsmc")
![Apple To Launch Next iPhone This October With LTE [Analyst]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/iphone-4s-chipset.jpg "iphone-4s-chipset")
![Apple Sues Back At Motorola Over Qualcomm License Agreement [Report]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/6a00d83451c9ec69e20168e6d8609d970c-500wi.jpg "6a00d83451c9ec69e20168e6d8609d970c-500wi")
