Re:Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem C...
by ChuckNorris89 on Tuesday July 23, 2019 @03:01AM
(#20504978)
>Apple could sell the chips for commodity prices and make a bit of profit for itself
Never gonna happen. You can't just sell the chips, you also need to provide a TON of support to your customers and integrators and in the semiconductor business that's way too much of a hassle for Apple to be worth it. They have much bigger fish to fry.
Re:Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem C...
by benj111 on Tuesday July 23, 2019 @03:15AM
(#20505037)
From what I hear about Qualcomm, theres enough companies that would be willing to jump through the hoops to avoid them, as Apple themselves did Intel.
They could always set up a joint venture, Apple brings the IP. The partner does the day to day stuff. It doesn't make a lot of sense to be sitting on top of IP and R&D that could be amortised over a much larger number of units.
Re:Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem C...
by wycy on Tuesday July 23, 2019 @07:32AM
(#20505904)
Apple seems like they could be vindictive enough to get into the business of selling their own modems, and to do so at prices that undercut Qualcomm, despite low cost hardware being way outside of their normal business model. Overall, I'd support that.
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.