Submitted via IRC for Bytram
Apple and Intel are apparently in "advanced talks" over buying up the remains of Chipzilla's defunct 5G modem business.
Sources close to the deal told the Wall Street Journal on Monday that Cook & Co were offering the x86 processor goliath a billion dollars for the intellectual property and staff behind its cellular modem business. The unit has been on hiatus since its primary customer Apple reached a smartphone modem supply deal with Qualcomm in April.
Intel has plowed mega-millions into designing mobile modems ever since it wolfed down Infineon in 2010 for $1.4bn. The chip factory eventually won a contract to supply 4G/LTE modems for some Apple smartphones. At the time, Apple was fed up with its primary modem supplier Qualcomm, which it later sued, along with its manufacturing partners, for $30bn.
After plenty of money went up in smoke on lawyers' fees, Apple and Qualcomm agreed to settle their differences, with the Cupertino idiot-tax operation signing another modem supply contract with Qualy. The same day that deal was announced, Intel, having lost its only serious cellular modem customer, announced it was winding up its 5G unit.
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Intel and MediaTek Announce Partnership To Bring 5G Modems to PCs
Today Intel has announced they've entered a partnership with MediaTek with the goal of "development, certification and support of 5G modem solutions" for next generation PC platforms. The announcement comes 5 months after the announcement that Intel is selling off its own modem and[sic] division to Apple for $1B.
The partnership with MediaTek clears up Intel's plans for the future of connectivity on PC platforms, and how the company is planning to go forward with supporting cellular connectivity in the next generations of devices.
"5G is poised to unleash a new level of computing and connectivity that will transform the way we interact with the world. This partnership with MediaTek brings together industry leaders with deep engineering, system integration and connectivity expertise to deliver 5G experiences on the next generation of the world's best PCs."
-- Gregory Bryant, Intel executive vice president and general manager of the Client Computing
[...] The first products of the partnership are said to be targeting availability in early 2021.
2021: Did you buy the 5G spy motherboard or just a chip with a management engine?
Previously: Apple in Billion-Dollar Bid to Gobble Intel's 5G Modem Blueprints and Staff
Related: Big Changes Planned by Microsoft - Windows 10 on ARM, Laptops to Behave More Like Phones
Intel Integrates LTE Modem Into Custom Multi-Chip Module for New HP Laptop
Intel and Qualcomm Announce 5G Modem Modules for M.2 Slots
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 24 2019, @04:07PM (2 children)
"idiot tax", lol :) it's "mentally challenged"!
no need for a computer degree to be able to be immune to "viruses, trojans and general malware."
srsly, linux is too much computer for many people, windows is to expensive, wasting money and time over a spread out period, apple is perfect for "computer service" users; you just have to cough-up the whole amount before hand.
apple isn't cheaper then windows but apple saves you a lot of (maintenance) time ... and you are allowed to be "mentality challenged" ^_^'
(Score: 2) by Rupert Pupnick on Wednesday July 24 2019, @04:31PM (1 child)
Hard to take seriously tech journalism that uses phrases like “Cupertino idiot-tax”, whether you agree with the sentiment or not.
Quaint use of the word “blueprint”, too.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday July 24 2019, @04:57PM
It's El Reg, they have not been subtle for 20+ years.
They are usually accurate too.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 24 2019, @04:48PM
Should be, Apple in Billion-dollar Bid to Gobble Intel's Goober.
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by jmichaelhudsondotnet on Wednesday July 24 2019, @06:12PM
All of the most largest, most infiltrated and least trustworthy spyware companies in the world are spending fortunes determining who is going to install and use for infinite offensive purposes ubiquitous black box trancievers that are going to literally beam the tv my neighbor wants to watch directly through my skull and allow the "government authorities" to focus any block of city street with enough emf to burn eyeball tissue, until humans realize that hedge trimmerse and jack hammers are more powerful than
The question isn't 'what cancers may it cause or insects it may drive extinct if beamed at optimum designed levels in a lab environment?' Although this is a good question.
The question is, 'What can state actors do with passive surveillance devices of infinitesimal size and constructive/destructive interference manipulation to wield power over me?'
And even better, 'When every other aspect of physical infrastructure is in disrepair and disfunction including bridges and voting machines and subways, why are these companies so enthusiastic about this absolutely massive installation of technology?
And even better still, 'Why have I heard not a single compelling new use for this technology? Why is the best they can do somehow with luggage and refrigerators and cars talking with other and high def on small screens?'
I'm serious, someone answer me these questions and earn some respect from me, because people who not only can't answer these questions, but don't think of them, have opinions that are worth exactly 0(zero) to me.
It doesn't take 'science fiction' writers to think, but if all 4 of France's new crackpot team of sci fi writers hasn't brought these things up yet, I am accepting job offers.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 25 2019, @01:00AM
Evidently, 5G is like Kevin Mitnick. So high tech that no one can possibly understand it! (And they call these things "standards"!) This is why Mitnick had to be kept in solitary, air-gapped, because if he got ahold of a cell phone, he might use it to hack in and launch nuclear missiles!!!
Of course, the reason the Americans think there are backdoors in the protocol, well, they understand it from past experience, but cannot read Chinese documentation.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 25 2019, @08:19AM
Considering the 5G of Intel is greatly inferior to the 5G of Huawei, Apple must observe itself in deep despair situation. The whole problem is very strategic, already motivated for temporary strategic solutions, weak and ineffective ones. My bet is on China, not the on USA.