Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Apple has been using Intel 4G chips for some models of the iPhone and Qualcomm chips for others.
Apple appears to be making some big changes to the chips in its upcoming iPhones -- and that could mean your next iPhone downloads data slower than rival Android devices. Qualcomm, a major supplier of 4G chips for smartphones, on Wednesday said it doesn't expect to supply modems for any upcoming iPhones.
"We believe Apple intends to solely use our competitor's modems rather than our modems in its next iPhone release," Qualcomm financial chief George Davis said during an earnings call with analysts.
Cristiano Amon, the head of Qualcomm's chip business, noted that it doesn't mean Qualcomm has lost Apple's business forever, but it's out for now.
"This is a very dynamic industry," he said during the earnings call. "If the opportunity presents itself, I think we will be a supplier of Apple."
Apple and Qualcomm have been fighting over patents since the beginning of 2017. Qualcomm previously supplied all modems for iPhones, but Apple now uses 4G chips from Intel in about half of its phones -- particularly those running on AT&T and T-Mobile networks. The move gave Apple more leverage in its battle with Qualcomm, but it has been criticized for hurting consumers by limiting their network speeds.
Qualcomm didn't say which company will supply modems for the next iPhone, but it's believed to be Intel.
Apple's apparent move to source its chips from one supplier could have big implications for your next iPhone. Going back to one chip provider could make it tougher for Apple to keep up with demand for its upcoming iPhones, which means you may have to wait even longer to get your hands on a new device. And speed tests have shown Qualcomm-powered smartphones are capable of faster network speeds than the devices running on Intel processors.
-- submitted from IRC
Previously: Apple Could Switch From Qualcomm to Intel and MediaTek for Modems
Related Stories
Apple is considering completely switching away from Qualcomm components, such as modems, in future iterations of the iPhone. Intel modems have already been used in some iPhones, and MediaTek is also under consideration:
Apple Inc has designed iPhones and iPads that would drop chips supplied by Qualcomm Inc, according to two people familiar with the matter. The change would affect iPhones released in the fall of 2018, but Apple could still change course before then, these people said. They declined to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.
The dispute stems from a change in supply arrangements under which Qualcomm has stopped providing some software for Apple to test its chips in its iPhone designs, one of the people told Reuters.
The two companies are locked in a multinational legal dispute over the Qualcomm's licensing terms to Apple.
Qualcomm told Reuters it is providing fully tested chips to Apple for iPhones. "We are committed to supporting Apple's new devices consistent with our support of all others in the industry," Qualcomm said in a statement.
Apple and other companies are suing Qualcomm over licensing fees. Apple has had similar hardware-level disputes with Samsung in the past. Apple designs its own ARM chips but has to have them manufactured by Samsung or TSMC.
Also at Bloomberg and 9to5Mac.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 30 2018, @01:53PM (1 child)
...and I'm a luxurious bitch. Who cares if your pleb phone can do whatever nerd shit this is.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 30 2018, @06:51PM
A luxury brand. Where there is a brand premium of $100 over a $500 equivalent Android.
They're all mass market toys.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Snotnose on Monday July 30 2018, @01:54PM (3 children)
Fact: Apple isn't using Qualcomm chips in their new phones.
Spin: The new iPhones will be slower than Androids.
I'm a QC fanboy as anyone who follows me knows, but this is a bit over the top.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday July 30 2018, @02:08PM
Not just headline but entire story.
TFA also includes this line, "Qualcomm has accused Apple of purposely slowing down the speeds of Qualcomm-powered iPhones to match the speeds of Intel-powered devices." And it goes on to say that Qualcomm modems in Androids are faster than Qualcomm modems in iPhones in testing.
So we have a whole article from Qualcomm's perspective, with Apple and Intel not commenting for the story.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 5, Informative) by takyon on Monday July 30 2018, @02:12PM
These concerns have come up in the past. This headline is not coming from nowhere.
iPhone 7 models with Intel inside suffer from slower LTE speeds [cultofmac.com]
Is Apple deliberately slowing down cellular data on some iPhone 8 models? [bgr.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 30 2018, @02:22PM
this first broke in theregister.co.uk last week which had the android phones 1/5th... if not 1/4 faster than apple's.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by MyOpinion on Monday July 30 2018, @02:24PM
It is 2018, and instead of doing space holidays and watching the curve of the Earth from a distance, there are always 2 kinds available in the whole Earth market to chose from.
I would choose the one with the better screen, so to see more detail on all those composite images of the "Earth from Space".
Truth is like a Lion: you need not defend it; let it loose, and it defends itself. https://discord.gg/3FScNwc
(Score: 1) by gumby on Monday July 30 2018, @02:52PM
Intel has already disclosed to investors that it will be losing Apple as a radio customer. According to EE times the likely supplier is Mediatek; another possibility is an in house Apple part.
As Mediatek isn’t a merchant chip supplier in the usual sense it’s impossible to guess the wireless performance at this time.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 30 2018, @03:15PM (2 children)
My iPhone X on T Mobile can pull data at 100 Mbps occasionally. How much faster does it need to be? Ridiculous story.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 30 2018, @04:06PM
You mean "spiritual" or "spectral"?
But, immaterially speaking, can it perform telepathy or connect you with the other world?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Monday July 30 2018, @05:21PM
Additionally - since "unlimited data" is no longer unlimited, just how much bandwidth is necessary to exceed your bandwidth limits each month?
On my crappy DSL, I can exceed 20 GB of data per month. (Well, the wife does, anyway.) On a 100 MB connection, I can probably exceed some of those data caps in a single day. Food for thought, huh? So, yeah, how much faster does your phone modem need to be?
(Score: 2) by mrpg on Monday July 30 2018, @04:42PM (2 children)
First world problems.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Monday July 30 2018, @08:41PM (1 child)
Truly is a first-world problem: If people are delayed enough in their purchase, that they stop believing they needed the latest shiny, the whole economy would collapse.
(Score: 2) by Kawumpa on Tuesday July 31 2018, @08:55AM
Not necessarily, the economy (as much as a large aggregate can) may also refocus its efforts on more substantial or fundamental goods or shift from shiny and largely useless towards quality and security. I know it's farfetched, nevertheless possible.