Apple Engineering Leader Handling 5G Efforts Leaves Company

[Glockworkorange]

Qualcomm acquisition in 3, 2, 1...

That wouldn't draw any scrutiny.
[doublepost=1556626949][/doublepost]

If Apple was planning on making their own modem, I would think retaining Caballero is important. However, there must be something going on behind the scenes and since both Apple and Caballero declined to comment.

Intel getting out of the 5G model business is probably a huge shift within the company, affecting a huge chunk of their plans. I'd be more surprised if there wasn't a shake up.

I hope someone writes an insider account some day. I'd love to see the behind the scenes of some of these stories.

 

[MoreRumors?]

Intel getting out of the 5G model business is probably a huge shift within the company, affecting a huge chunk of their plans. I'd be more surprised if there wasn't a shake up.

I hope someone writes an insider account some day. I'd love to see the behind the scenes of some of these stories.

Apple can turn this into a drama series and add to their lineup this coming fall .

 

[cmaier]

OK just remove the wireless technology part of the deal that'll render the iPhone a shinney brick them I guess you're right!

Qualcomm doesn’t even have all the patents on wireless.

 

[techwhiz]

Qualcomm doesn’t even have all the patents on wireless.

They don't read and don't understand who owns what.
While Qualcomm owns key patents, they don't own them all.
[doublepost=1556637704][/doublepost]

I don't know the extent of Caballero's knowledge and input relating to modem but if Apple is planning on producing their own modem, having experienced people to get it going would be beneficial. Maybe you're correct and which may explain why he departed and neither party is commenting. As we have seen Intel having difficulties in producing a 5G modem, retaining personnel who can get it in production would be needed.

Well, I do know for a fact that if he's been at Apple for a decade, he has not done a 4G or LTE modem.
Having someone lead 5G that has never done a modem is risky at best. Even Intel had issues and they have done LTE.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

Yeah it’s not like anybody ever bought an iPod. I guess those were bricks too.

What a stupid response; there was never an expectation an iPod would have wireless data connectivity.

 

[FFR]

What a stupid response; there was never an expectation an iPod would have wireless data connectivity.

No what’s stupid is you calling the iPod touch a shiny brick just because it didn’t have a cellular connection, which isn’t true, apple sold quite a bit of iPods. Last couple of generations, the iPod was an iPhone without a cellular modem and it wasn’t useless.

OK just remove the wireless technology part of the deal that'll render the iPhone a shinney brick them I guess you're right!

 

[MacFan23]

Sure - diversity sparks innovation big time, just like cars' color variety sparks safety, or like clothes size spark fashion.

Just few years ago Apple started all this diversity bull **** over talents support and look where Apple's quality and innovation now: for 3 years at least Apple been releasing only new emojis.

Pretty ignorant comment, give this a listen:

https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/76h54l/52-raising-the-bar

 

[cfurlin]

Just few years ago Apple started all this diversity bull **** over talents support and look where Apple's quality and innovation now: for 3 years at least Apple been releasing only new emojis.

And let’s not forget those old-timers leaving were part of the past three years. Maybe Apple finally figured out who was really holding them back.

 

[ksec]

Is it me or is there quite a few execs and other high talent individuals leaving all at once?

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/04/25/apple-industrial-design-team-employee-changes/

It was Steve that kept them together. I am worried under Tim Cook Apple is getting more B players than A players.
[doublepost=1556650630][/doublepost]

New faces can spark more diversity and more diversity can spark innovation. It's good to clean house once in a while.

No where does it say these people are leaving completely of their own choice. The writing on the wall could be, "we need new blood" and they're getting out before they don't have a choice. Nothing wrong with that.

No one is irreplaceable, regardless of talent or level.

Steve Jobs is Irreplaceable.

 

[techwhiz]

Sure - diversity sparks innovation big time, just like cars' color variety sparks safety, or like clothes size spark fashion.

Just few years ago Apple started all this diversity bull **** over talents support and look where Apple's quality and innovation now: for 3 years at least Apple been releasing only new emojis.

Clearly you are not part of a group in the engineering field that is underrepresented.
I have been an engineer in Silicon Valley for more than three decades and I've seen diversity in the valley diminish.
Why? People who have been promoted into management and typically hire people that look like themselves, passing over candidates that are otherwise very qualified. They have not been trained to recognize internal bias.

The fallacy you seem to embrace is that diversity candidates are somehow unqualified for the jobs.
This is a stupid and ignorant position. The role of diversity is to seek out qualified candidates that add diversity to an otherwise non-diverse and mostly homogeneous workforce.

You position is exactly the opposite of real life. What you get when people hire people that look like themselves in a workforce with very little diversity in thought are under qualified candidates that get the jobs because the interviewer feels good because the candidate looks like them and talks like them.

Diversity programs seek to broaden and bring in new thought and ideas; just what you seem to miss. Unless you get new ideas and new thought you get stagnation in engineering.If everyone thinks the same way, you do not have anyone "thinking outside the box" and you get nothing new or innovative.

I have been hired to come in and manage some of those dysfunctional teams at various companies.
The people that are hired to change the world for everyone else are the most resistant to change. This why companies spend an enormous amount of money on how to manage change and change management consultants.

So before you decide to challenge my qualifications or what I have to say, ponder this:
I hold multiple degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
I've been a Director of Engineering at a public company.
When I'm not in management I'm a Principal level engineer.
I'm a Senior Member if the IEEE.
I have either been an architect, technical lead or managed design teams that have done GSM, H.264, storage and networking in technologies ranging all the way down to 16nm FinFET.
[doublepost=1556651243][/doublepost]

It was Steve that kept them together. I am worried under Tim Cook Apple is getting more B players than A players.
[doublepost=1556650630][/doublepost]

Steve Jobs is Irreplaceable.

Very difficult to replace, but not irreplaceable.
Maybe they haven't looked hard enough for the right mind?
Maybe the person to lead is not the same person to innovate?
Maybe it's two to replace one?

 

[CWallace]

What does a modem optimized for iOS devices mean?

It means that rather than being designed around a "least common denominator" to work with a wide variety of different smartphones, it is designed specifically around Apple's hardware.

Apple's A-Series CPUs and Qualcomm's Snapdragon CPUs are both ARM CPUs, but the A-Series consistently trounce the Snapdragons in performance benchmarks. Now it could very well be that Apple's CPU designers are a fair bit better than Qualcomm's, but it could also very well be that Qualcomm's engineers are constrained in certain areas because their CPUs have to work with multiple different OEMs and models within each OEM.

What lack in optimization do modems currently used by Apple have?

Once Apple starts shipping their own modems, should they (eventually) benchmark better than the Qualcomm and Intel units in their (previous) phones we shall know.

 

[cfurlin]

It was Steve that kept them together. I am worried under Tim Cook Apple is getting more B players than A players.
[doublepost=1556650630][/doublepost]

Steve Jobs is Irreplaceable.

To each their own. I'm much happier with Apple sans Steve Jobs.

 

[techwhiz]

It means that rather than being designed around a "least common denominator" to work with a wide variety of different smartphones, it is designed specifically around Apple's hardware.

Apple's A-Series CPUs and Qualcomm's Snapdragon CPUs are both ARM CPUs, but the A-Series consistently trounce the Snapdragons in performance benchmarks. Now it could very well be that Apple's CPU designers are a fair bit better than Qualcomm's, but it could also very well be that Qualcomm's engineers are constrained in certain areas because their CPUs have to work with multiple different OEMs and models within each OEM.

No. The optimizations would be completely transparent to the OEM. The ARM instruction set is the instruction set.
LPDDR4/5 and other peripheral interfaces might be be relevant but I doubt that is the case since each new generation phone will need a new board layout and possibly peripherals.

Qualcomm does not spend the time doing the optimizations Apple does with it's A series.
But a phone with a SD845 and now SD855 is no slouch by any means.

Once Apple starts shipping their own modems, should they (eventually) benchmark better than the Qualcomm and Intel units in their (previous) phones we shall know.

So you think that Apple is better at modem design that the company that owns a substantial number of SEPs and also has experience in 2G,3G,4G and now 5G? I take a more realistic view point and think at best they can get to the same level of performance. Qualcomm would have shipped it's first 4 chips for 5G before Apple ships one. Communications is Qualcomm's core competency. it is not Apple's core competency. Not saying they can't best Qualcomm, but that's a steep hill to climb.

 

[Octopuss]

Clearly you are not ... blah blah ...
... you seem to embrace is that diversity candidates are somehow unqualified .. blah blah ... stupid ... blah blah ... The role of diversity is to seek out qualified candidates (WOT? lol ) ...
.. blah blah ...
.. workforce with very little diversity in thought are under qualified candidates ... blah blah ...

Different doesn't mean better, same as different doesn't mean wrong. In fact different doesn't mean anything other than it's not like something else in a single way which make next to zero affect on other (unrelated) aspects.
One day you may or may not realize that yellow (or colorful) doesn't mean sweet. If you so educated and experienced you may even understand which is cause and which is effect in this matter and their relations. Or not. It's OK, there are plenty of gray mass hailing diversity or any other ideology plot into their heads.

And one more thing: rejecting opinions is very diverse.
[doublepost=1556669202][/doublepost]

Pretty ignorant comment, give this a listen:

https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/76h54l/52-raising-the-bar

Thank you. That shows just how things work today: take edge case, turn it upside down to fit to contemporary ideas, make a single point view and yell.

I do know that critical thinking is not trending today.
It so sad to see self proclaimed experts everywhere praising onesided views, sometimes it's fun at least.

I'd like to believe that I'm smart and to have strong opinion on every matter, but usually I feel that i'm not.
http://www.matthewdicks.com/matthewdicksblog/2015/01/important-explains-everything.html

 

[WatchFromAfar]

No what’s stupid is you calling the iPod touch a shiny brick just because it didn’t have a cellular connection, which isn’t true, apple sold quite a bit of iPods. Last couple of generations, the iPod was an iPhone without a cellular modem and it wasn’t useless.

I never called out the iPod touch; you called out the iPod, then you changed it to the iPod Touch because that product has a data connection.

 

[cmaier]

It was Steve that kept them together. I am worried under Tim Cook Apple is getting more B players than A players.
[doublepost=1556650630][/doublepost]

Steve Jobs is Irreplaceable.

That’s why NeXT set the world on fire?
[doublepost=1556671363][/doublepost]

Clearly you are not part of a group in the engineering field that is underrepresented.
I have been an engineer in Silicon Valley for more than three decades and I've seen diversity in the valley diminish.
Why? People who have been promoted into management and typically hire people that look like themselves, passing over candidates that are otherwise very qualified. They have not been trained to recognize internal bias.

The fallacy you seem to embrace is that diversity candidates are somehow unqualified for the jobs.
This is a stupid and ignorant position. The role of diversity is to seek out qualified candidates that add diversity to an otherwise non-diverse and mostly homogeneous workforce.

You position is exactly the opposite of real life. What you get when people hire people that look like themselves in a workforce with very little diversity in thought are under qualified candidates that get the jobs because the interviewer feels good because the candidate looks like them and talks like them.

Diversity programs seek to broaden and bring in new thought and ideas; just what you seem to miss. Unless you get new ideas and new thought you get stagnation in engineering.If everyone thinks the same way, you do not have anyone "thinking outside the box" and you get nothing new or innovative.

I have been hired to come in and manage some of those dysfunctional teams at various companies.
The people that are hired to change the world for everyone else are the most resistant to change. This why companies spend an enormous amount of money on how to manage change and change management consultants.

So before you decide to challenge my qualifications or what I have to say, ponder this:
I hold multiple degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
I've been a Director of Engineering at a public company.
When I'm not in management I'm a Principal level engineer.
I'm a Senior Member if the IEEE.
I have either been an architect, technical lead or managed design teams that have done GSM, H.264, storage and networking in technologies ranging all the way down to 16nm FinFET.
[doublepost=1556651243][/doublepost]

I admire your energy responding to such drivel.

 

[Octopuss]

I admire your energy responding to such drivel.

 

[FFR]

I never called out the iPod touch; you called out the iPod, then you changed it to the iPod Touch because that product has a data connection.

You called the an iPhone with a cellar modem a brick. It’s not. iPod touch proved that.

 

[urnotl33t]

What does a modem optimized for iOS devices mean?
What lack in optimization do modems currently used by Apple have?

I understand where you’re coming from with your post, and it makes sense. But *for Apple*, their immediate factors are size (less die space, integrated with SoC (iPhone), SiP (Watch)), weight/bulk (“thinness” aside for a moment, “grams” matter on a 6.5” iPhone or 10” iPad), power.

Again *for Apple*. IIRC, currently they are getting a semi-full modem chip that they either partially disable (Qualcomm’s modem is rather generic, so they get a full chip package), and/or the modem sits outside the SoC (but inside the SiP for Watch; different package design).

IANA chip designer, but that’s my armchair understanding.

So imagine a (even partially) optimized modem that gets us a little more juice and starts to integrate further... this would be like the A4 chip on iPhone 4 and original iPad. It was slightly modified as Apple began its chip design work just after the PA Semi acquisition. People asked the exact same questions then. Later we got the A7. BAM! World changed.

This supposed “Apple modem” is the A4-equivalent. Writing is on the wind right now. We know it’s coming.

 

[aka777]

The fallacy you seem to embrace is that diversity candidates are somehow unqualified for the jobs.
This is a stupid and ignorant position. The role of diversity is to seek out qualified candidates that add diversity to an otherwise non-diverse and mostly homogeneous workforce.

You position is exactly the opposite of real life. What you get when people hire people that look like themselves in a workforce with very little diversity in thought are under qualified candidates that get the jobs because the interviewer feels good because the candidate looks like them and talks like them.

Diversity programs seek to broaden and bring in new thought and ideas; just what you seem to miss. Unless you get new ideas and new thought you get stagnation in engineering.If everyone thinks the same way, you do not have anyone "thinking outside the box" and you get nothing new or innovative.

Every point you make is extremely rational and on point with current research on the topic.

One has to question how much actual diversity do companies in the Bay area and San Fran really have. The majority of 'migrants' are from India alone, or a handful of other developing economies. That is not representative of diversity. It's a cheap labor force and what has created ManJose.

Places like London, Sydney, Melbourne, Vancouver have diversity. People in these thriving and highly livable cities come from all walks of life and regions of the world. That's where I would be setting up if I was a company. They're already punch way above their weight class in R&D, for things that actually matter in life, like medical research; versus emojis and other get-rich-quick schemes.

For me personally, not even a $300k salary would get me to move to the Bay Area or San Fran. I vote D but the culture is just too diehard quasi-liberal/libertarian out there. It's very off putting to anyone else.

This perpetuates the cycle of only having one type of mindset and background, something that will inevitable catch up to the area and allow others to overtake.

 

[ROGmaster]

It means that rather than being designed around a "least common denominator" to work with a wide variety of different smartphones, it is designed specifically around Apple's hardware.

Apple's A-Series CPUs and Qualcomm's Snapdragon CPUs are both ARM CPUs, but the A-Series consistently trounce the Snapdragons in performance benchmarks. Now it could very well be that Apple's CPU designers are a fair bit better than Qualcomm's, but it could also very well be that Qualcomm's engineers are constrained in certain areas because their CPUs have to work with multiple different OEMs and models within each OEM.

Very unconvincing explanation attempt that just repeats a bunch of suppositions.
So in short you absolutely don't know what a modem optimized for iOS devices is supposed to mean.
Objectively Qualcomm's SOC's are only constrained by their transistor budget. Also winning in benchmarks doesn't mean much anyway.

Once Apple starts shipping their own modems, should they (eventually) benchmark better than the Qualcomm and Intel units in their (previous) phones we shall know.

I really doubt they will benchmark better than the Qualcomm's modems there's no real reason why they would offer better performance.

 

[techwhiz]

That’s why NeXT set the world on fire?
[doublepost=1556671363]

Yes it did and it changed computing forever.
NeXT is why we have the MacOS and iOS we have today.

BTW - I did my master's signal processing research on a NeXT.
Fantastic machine with the DSP interface.

[/doublepost]

I admire your energy responding to such drivel.

It wasn't for his benefit.
His mind is so narrow you couldn't drive a hot wheel through it.
It was for the benefit of those reading that might believe his drivel.
There is a huge lack of diversity in Silicon Valley and these companies have only given lip service to the significant issue.
The valley is less diverse than it was 30 years ago.
I saw more women managers and engineers thirty years ago than I do today.
I saw more black and hispanic engineers thirty years ago than I do today.

We have gone backwards in Silicon Valley and it's not good.

 

[CWallace]

I really doubt they will benchmark better than the Qualcomm's modems there's no real reason why they would offer better performance.

Well if nothing else Apple will at least control their own destiny when it comes to modems in their smartphones and since that is one of the most core technologies in a smartphone...

 

[techwhiz]

Well if nothing else Apple will at least control their own destiny when it comes to modems in their smartphones and since that is one of the most core technologies in a smartphone...

I don't see how they actually control their destiny.
They are either compatible/compliant or not. if not, it's dead.
They either support the maximum data rate or not. They will always be compared to Qualcomm.
They must come within 5% of Qualcomm or be accused of building garbage. I used 5%; anything greater and the Android devices will have a faster download and bring it to Apple's doorstep.

So I would argue that they must always be within 5% of Qualcomm and therefor don't control their own destiny.

 

[cmaier]

It wasn't for his benefit.
His mind is so narrow you couldn't drive a hot wheel through it.
It was for the benefit of those reading that might believe his drivel.
There is a huge lack of diversity in Silicon Valley and these companies have only given lip service to the significant issue.
The valley is less diverse than it was 30 years ago.
I saw more women managers and engineers thirty years ago than I do today.
I saw more black and hispanic engineers thirty years ago than I do today.

We have gone backwards in Silicon Valley and it's not good.

Two of the top 5 engineers I ever worked with are women. For women to end up in an engineering degree despite all the crap they go through being discouraged by teachers in high school and college, etc., they have to have way-above-average dedication, and it shows.