Qualcomm - page 2

Chipmaker Qualcomm said Wednesday it expects the smartphone industry to ship 30% fewer mobile phones in the second quarter as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but predicted the demand for 5G smartphones will accelerate from the second half of 2020 into the new year.

As a provider of modem chips to Apple, the predictions give further evidence that the Cupertino-based high-tech giant is on track to release it’s first 5G-ready iPhone lineup later this year simply based on Qualcomm’s estimates of product demand.

A Monday report out of Asia reignites claims that at least one iPhone 12 model will feature a display-embedded Touch ID sensor.

Sources believe a number of Apple partners, including OLED display-maker BOE and Qualcomm, are working on the technology.

Qualcomm has announced its new Snapdragon X60 5G modem, its third-gen 5G chip which offers improvements over its Snapdragon X55 and X50 predecessors.

While there is no confirmation that this is the case, this could very well be the modem chip that is used in the forthcoming generation of 5G iPhones. Apple patched up its rocky relationship with Qualcomm last year over the company’s 5G technology.

Qualcomm’s 5G antenna design isn’t up to par with Apple’s design standards, reveals a new report that claims Apple is building its own antenna for this year’s 5G iPhones.

Fast Company claims Apple has decided to do the design work itself on the 5G antenna but it will still use Qualcomm’s 5G modem chip. If true, Apple would be adding an extra level of difficulty for churning out a reliable 5G iPhone during one of its most anticipated upgrade cycles in years.

Apple might be in the market to acquire the radio-frequency chip division from one of its biggest parts suppliers.

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Broadcom Inc is working with Credit Suisse to find a possible buyer of its RF wireless-chip unit in an effort to diversify its business and move more toward software. Although the names of companies potentially interested in the division haven’t been named, Apple observers are quickly pointing out that the iPhone-maker scooping it up makes the most sense.

Qualcomm’s president isn’t allowed to say when the 5G iPhone will be released, but Cristiano Amon got as close as he could today by stating that his company and Apple will release one “as fast as we can.”

The 5G modem in this much-anticipated handset will be made by Qualcomm.

Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf predicts 175 million to 225 million 5G handsets will be sold in 2020. The company is also expecting new flagship devices with its 5G chips to be made available for sale next fall.

While that’s far from a guarantee, the comments provide more (possible) clues that 2020 could be when we get the first 5G iPhones.

Apple reportedly plans to deploy its own 5G modems in iPhones by 2022. This “very aggressive” timeline will require Apple to carry out development, testing and certification.

Until then, Apple will use 5G modems developed by Qualcomm. After years of legal battling, the two companies put aside their differences earlier this year. Apple will likely ship its first 5G iPhone next year.

The end of the Apple’s war with Qualcomm didn’t come soon enough for this chip maker to get its 4G modems into the 2019 iPhone models. All three of Apple’s new handsets use a modem designed before Intel got out of this business.

Which possibly means this phone isn’t as fast as it could be.

Complaints about the iPhone 11’s lack of 5G might be a bit overblown.

Despite failing to add 5G modems to the iPhone 11 lineup this year, buyers of the new handsets will still notice a huge improvement in LTE data speeds thanks to new gigabit-class chips that offer faster LTE speeds than ever before.

Apple really is working to integrate Touch ID into future iPhone displays, according to a new report.

The company’s in-screen fingerprint-scanning technology could debut as early as 2020. It is expected work alongside Face ID on flagship handsets, giving users a choice between unlock options.

The iPhone’s augmented reality capabilities are about to ramp up to an all-new level, thanks to camera sensors that can tell how far away objects are.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors in a new research note that Apple is readying cameras with time-of-flight sensors. Adding the new ToF sensors should give the iPhone better computer vision. They could help take better pics, too.

Apple wants to start shipping its own 5G modems as soon as 2021, according to a new report.

The news comes after Apple confirmed it is splashing $1 billion to acquire the majority of Intel’s modem chip business. But we won’t see the back of Qualcomm for some time.

Apple could soon become the new owner of Intel’s giant trove of modem-related patents according to a new report on the two sides’ negotiation.

Intel decided to get out of the 5G modem game earlier this year after Apple struck a deal to use Qualcomm’s modems for the next couple of years. It appears that Intel’s loss could be a big win for Apple’s own efforts to become less dependent on third-parties for iPhone chips.

The legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm may be settled. But that hasn’t stopped Qualcomm from bringing up Apple’s name in court.

As part of a hearing to stop the enforcement of an antitrust ruling, Qualcomm used internal Apple documents as evidence. And the U.S. Federal Trade Commission wasn’t too happy about it.

Apple may be waiting a bit longer than some of its rivals to go 5G, but it will reportedly jump into this cutting-edge networking standard in a big way next year. There will be two 5G iPhone models introduced in 2020, according to a respected analyst.

Nearly 75% of Apple employees are behind Tim Cook’s recent declaration that the App Store is not monopoly.

A recent survey found that Qualcomm and Spotify employees are the biggest Apple haters with over 80% responding that recent App Store monopoly claims are legit. The overall tech industry appears to be split on the case though with 54% of employees from the biggest companies taking Apple’s side.

Qualcomm emerged victorious from its recent battle with Apple. But things look a whole lot less rosy for the company in its antitrust case with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Judge Lucy Koh this week filed her ruling in the FTC’s first round of litigation against Qualcomm. She concluded that Qualcomm has been engaging in anticompetitive business practices.

Google has suspended its business with Huawei and revoked its Android license following a U.S. crackdown on Chinese technology companies.

It’s a massive blow for the world’s third-biggest smartphone-maker — and it’s not the only one it received this weekend. Intel, Qualcomm, and other chip manufacturers have also halted their partnerships with the company.

Apple’s custom-built smartphone modems likely won’t make their way into iPhones and iPads until 2025 at the earliest, according to a new report from The Information.

Intel’s strained relationship with Apple is on full display in the beefy report that reveals Apple had problems with Intel long before 5G modems became an issue. Back in early 2017, Intel struggled to supply Apple with an LTE modem destined for the 2018 iPhone lineup. Despite overhauling the modem four times, Intel nearly missed the deadline.

Qualcomm’s top executives received massive bonuses after settling the company’s raging legal battle with Apple.

The bonuses were revealed in an SEC filing. They included a stock bonuses worth $3.5 million for Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf.

Apple will pay Qualcomm a lump sum of $4.5 billion to $4.7 billion as part of as legal settlement the two companies recently reached.

This is almost as much as Qualcomm’s entire revenue for its current quarter, showing Apple’s importance to the chipmaker.

The Apple vice president in charge of sourcing 4G and 5G iPhone modems has left. The departure of Rubén Caballero comes as this part of Apple’s business is in transition, with Qualcomm once again available to provide these vital components.

It seems developing a 5G iPhone is going to continue to be more difficult than one might expect.

Apple poached the lead developer of Intel’s 5G smartphone tech, a new report claims.

This was just prior to Apple agreeing to team up with Qualcomm for 5G modems. Apple’s deal with Qualcomm prompted Intel to drop out of making 5G chips, citing lack of business opportunities.

Details about the 2019 iPhone models are starting to trickle out. Intel CEO seems to have said today that his company will be supplying 4G modems for this device.

Bob Swan’s comment is deliberately oblique, but at least one expert has taken it as an indication that Apple isn’t ready to fully switch to Qualcomm modems in its iPhones.