Last year, Samsung Electronics and TSMC foundry for Apple's application processor, resulting in the same Apple iPhone performance and life time difference, the matter to Samsung Electronics "shame". Recently, Apple's mobile phone once again broke similar news, Apple this year with Intel's baseband processor (MODEM), but the speed is far less than Qualcomm, the future may even be abandoned by Apple.

Integrated Fox Financial Web site and other media reports, this is Intel's first years in a number of years after the baseband processor for Apple's mobile phone, due to Intel's mobile application processor market failure, the outside world that Apple's baseband order will be Intel's a positive news.

However, the technology industry analyst Tom Sepenzis recently released a research report, many reports over the past month, Apple iPhone 7 in this year's mobile phone used in the Intel baseband, far less than the performance of Qualcomm baseband.

Apple has deliberately reduced the speed of using Qualcomm's baseband phone to keep all Apple devices at the same speed, the analyst said. Allegedly, Qualcomm provides X12 baseband, network speed can reach 600Mbps, but Intel's XMM 3360 baseband supply, the highest speed is only 450Mbps.

The analyst said that although Apple will do everything possible to maintain supplier diversity strategy, but if half of the phone performance is affected, Apple will not let this phenomenon continues. Analysts pointed out that Intel is developing next-generation baseband processor XMM 7480, the maximum speed is only 450Mbps, and Qualcomm's latest X16 baseband, has achieved 1Gbps network speed.

He said Qualcomm and Intel are too different on the baseband processor, and if Intel can not find a solution, Qualcomm will become the exclusive supplier of Apple's baseband chips in two years (that is, to grab 100% MODEM orders). Earlier, Apple's new mobile phone speed limit events in the United States triggered a public outcry, allegedly Qualcomm version of mobile phone users were forced to slow down, and Intel version to achieve the same speed.

In the baseband processor area, Qualcomm's technical strength in the world top. Apple is able to design its own application processor, but the lack of baseband processor, so Apple has been purchased from Qualcomm. This year, Apple for the first time over the years using Intel baseband, the outside world that the move is to maintain the diversity of suppliers and compete with each other, so that Apple can further reduce chip procurement costs.

Apple will completely abandon the future of Intel's baseband chip it? Technology media also pointed out that Apple may continue to purchase Intel baseband, but the proportion will shrink. According to the analysis, next year Apple plans to launch iPhone 8, which will mark the tenth anniversary of the launch of Apple's smart phone major upgrade products in three new products, Apple will be in a high version of the first use of OLED display (or even Curved screen), Apple will also cancel the physical buttons, to achieve all-glass package, the other to provide wireless charging.

Media analysts pointed out that Apple may be in the next year's mobile phones in the implementation of high-end and midrange differentiated design, and in the lower cost version, Apple may still use Intel's baseband processor. Because Intel is a new supplier, so Apple can also enjoy more favorable supply prices. Intel has traditionally been a computer chip designer and manufacturer, but a few years ago it acquired Infineon's chip business and got the design capability of a communications chip. That's why Intel was able to offer Apple a baseband chip. But in technology research and development capabilities, Intel and Qualcomm can not be compared.

In fact, the mobile chip market has become a difficult task for Intel. Personal computer chip era of the dominant position of the dominant position, so Intel transition slow, did not see the huge opportunities for mobile phone processors. Today, Qualcomm and MediaTek two monopoly of the global smart phone chip market, Intel's Atom chip in the energy consumption ratio and other indicators in the backward market share is minimal. The market with Intel Atom processor mobile phone is also one of a handful.

The middle of this year, Intel has abandoned the mobile application processor market, said the future will no longer be version upgrade. But Intel will continue to compete for Tablet PC, especially the new hybrid flat-panel processor orders. It should be noted that, in addition to the baseband processor, Apple is also a large computer chip Intel customers, the annual notebook computer product line for the purchase of a large number of Intel processors.

Source: vvcat