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In the wake of Apple's lengthy legal battle with iPhone LTE chip supplier Qualcomm, Apple is believed to be leaning more on Intel as a manufacturer for the iPhone's baseband chip component. The news comes in a report by DigiTimes, which states that Apple's increase of Intel-created wireless chips for iPhones could lead well into 2018, suggesting the so-called iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus, and iPhone 8 have a higher chance of receiving Intel's chip than Qualcomm's.

Apple sourced both of the manufacturers for wireless chips in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in 2016, with a ratio of around 70 percent sourcing going to Qualcomm and 30 percent going to Intel. Now, Apple is believed to have given each supplier an equal 50 percent proportion of the wireless chip manufacturing for the rest of 2017, and that number could eventually increase to weigh in Intel's favor -- all because of Apple's legal fight with Qualcomm.

intel-iphone-LTE-chips.jpg

Analysts watching the supply chain predict that Apple will eventually give Intel 70 percent of the production capacity in iPhones by 2018, because neither Apple nor Qualcomm are willing "to give in to make peace."
Apple's outsourcing proportion to Intel for the next-generation iPhone baseband chips has risen to about 50% for orders running through the end of 2017 due to the lawsuit between Qualcomm and Apple, which has grown fiercer recently.

Since both Qualcomm and Apple are unwilling to give in to make peace, some market watchers believe Apple is likely to shift even more baseband chip orders away from Qualcomm with Intel to supply over 70% of the baseband products for iPhones by 2018.
Apple and Qualcomm's feud began with a complaint filed by the FTC in January that centered around Qualcomm's anticompetitive patent licensing practices, which the FTC claimed it used to remain the dominant supplier of baseband chips for smartphones. Not long after, Apple filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm over the news of its practices, claiming Qualcomm charged unfair royalties for "technologies they have nothing to do with."

After a few quiet months, in April Qualcomm countersued Apple, so Apple decided to stop making royalty payments to its suppliers in relation to Qualcomm's baseband chip technology, igniting a new series of arguments between the companies. Because Qualcomm holds licensing deals with Apple's iPhone manufacturers, and not Apple itself, the move was suggested to hurt Qualcomm to the tune of $500 million, causing the company to adjust its third quarter guidance from $5.3 billion - $6.1 billion in revenue down to $4.8 billion - $5.6 billion.

Qualcomm eventually tried to get an import ban passed that would prevent iPhones from entering the United States, and then decided to file a lawsuit against Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, and Compal for "breaching their license agreements" by failing to pay royalties on the use of Qualcomm's technology in the assembly of Apple's devices. Last week, Qualcomm requested an injunction to force Apple's iPhone manufacturers to keep paying royalties during the legal battle.

Due to the ongoing nature of the feud between the two companies, it's expected that the case will continue well into 2017, leading to today's report that Qualcomm might see a greatly reduced presence in the manufacturing of the next-generation iPhones. Even with the bad blood between Apple and Qualcomm, insiders still call Apple's reliance on Intel "a friendship of convenience" more than any kind of long-term partnership, because Intel's chips are said to have "inferior performance" in comparison to Qualcomm's technology.

Article Link: Intel Gaining Larger Foothold in iPhone LTE Chip Supply Chain as Apple Distances Itself From Qualcomm
 
Intel Gaining Larger Foothold in iPhone LTE Chip Supply Chain as Apple Distances Itself From Qualcomm
I kind of want somebody to dramatize the relationship between Qualcomm and Apple in a catchy pop song.

I can't understand
Why you pull away your hand royalty payments
But it's happened too many times
I don't wanna care
Bout your love if love is there
And the heart you're gonna break is mine

And now I feel ashamed
Cause I just have to say
Go ahead girl Apple walk away
Go ahead girl Apple walk away
Go ahead girl Apple walk away
Walk away

I suppose the closest I'll get is that Steve Jobs opera…
 
I don't care. It's not like the networks are pushing the limits of what the chips can support. However I am curious on their CDMA abilities since Qualcomm owns a lot of patents on that chip technology.
 
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I kind of want somebody to dramatize the relationship between Qualcomm and Apple in a catchy pop song.

I can't understand
Why you pull away your hand royalty payments
But it's happened too many times
I don't wanna care
Bout your love if love is there
And the heart you're gonna break is mine

And now I feel ashamed
Cause I just have to say
Go ahead girl Apple walk away
Go ahead girl Apple walk away
Go ahead girl Apple walk away
Walk away

I suppose the closest I'll get is that Steve Jobs opera…
(Please Don't) Call Me Maybe
 
Intel wants this very bad - as Microsoft just launched an ARM based version of Windows 10 that can run x86 programs in their PC territory. Long term this will be good as the industry will get a viable alternative to Qualcomm (who needs some competition).

Hopefully the Intel chips this year will be improved (Intel is good at that sort of thing - refining) so it won't be a letdown to get an Intel iPhone.
 
This is unfortunate. It's fairly common knowledge the Intel version of the iPhone 7 is significantly worse than the Broadcom version. I switched and signal strength and speed both went back up.

Sucks Apple has to go with the inferior supplier :-(
The only reason why Intel chips somewhat have less performance than the Qualcomm (not Broadcom) chips is because they are first generation chips. They obviously aren't going to be the best, but they will get better. I have an Intel-based iPhone 7 Plus and everything works just fine for me though.
 
And.......Intel chip sucks!! :-(

Sounds like this is the NEW TSMC vs Samsung chip debate.


This is unfortunate. It's fairly common knowledge the Intel version of the iPhone 7 is significantly worse than the QUALCOMM version. I switched and signal strength and speed both went back up.

Sucks Apple has to go with the inferior supplier :-(


Are you serious? "Sucks" is a way too harsh a term to be used here. Sucks should mean that the Intel WWAN chips are faulty, causing various issues like drop-outs and whatnot. Having a chip that gives you slightly worse Throughput/RSRP does not mean it downright sucks. People really need to get their acts together. This is no need to blow everything out of proportions all the time.

If you seriously consider the difference between the Qualcomm MDM9645M and Intel XMM7360 to be of such significance that the Intel versions downright sucks you must hate the iPhone 6S as the Qualcomm MDM9635M in the iPhone 6S scored worse on the Throughput/RSRP ratings on pretty much all the tests compared to the Intel XMM7360..

What's even funnier is how the Intel XMM7360 actually beats the Qualcomm MDM9645M at Throughput/RSRP on lower signal levels. But who care about that? People care more about having 140mbps vs 110mbps in good coverage, compared to having 15mbps vs 25mbps in bad coverage.

What kind of applications do you use while roaming that makes you notice the difference between having 140mbps vs 110mbps over LTE with good signal strength?

I don't care. It's not like the networks are pushing the limits of what the chips can support. However I am curious on their CDMA abilities since Qualcomm owns a lot of patents on that chip technology.


Good to see that there is still at least a few members who don't jump onto the whine-train as soon as a article goes live on Macrumours.
 
Apple puts state of the art LTE Modems with capability of ridiculous speeds, people be like:
What is the point.
Those speeds are not even available.
I am going to go through my data faster now

Apple puts limits performance of chips so all iPhones are on same level but still crazy fast, people:
What the HELL Apple.
Why are you limiting my phone
I want what I paid for, not a inferior product.

:confused:
 
... What kind of applications do you use while roaming that makes you notice the difference between having 140mbps vs 110mbps over LTE with good signal strength? ...

That's the issue here. With a weak data connection, the Qualcomm modem still works good.
 
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Are you serious? "Sucks" is a way too harsh a term to be used here. Sucks should mean that the Intel WWAN chips are faulty, causing various issues like drop-outs and whatnot. Having a chip that gives you slightly worse Throughput/RSRP does not mean it downright sucks. People really need to get their acts together. This is no need to blow everything out of proportions all the time.

If you seriously consider the difference between the Qualcomm MDM9645M and Intel XMM7360 to be of such significance that the Intel versions downright sucks you must hate the iPhone 6S as the Qualcomm MDM9635M in the iPhone 6S scored worse on the Throughput/RSRP ratings on pretty much all the tests compared to the Intel XMM7360..

What's even funnier is how the Intel XMM7360 actually beats the Qualcomm MDM9645M at Throughput/RSRP on lower signal levels. But who care about that? People care more about having 140mbps vs 110mbps in good coverage, compared to having 15mbps vs 25mbps in bad coverage.

What kind of applications do you use while roaming that makes you notice the difference between having 140mbps vs 110mbps over LTE with good signal strength?

Agreed 100%. It seems like histrionics are the standard tone on these boards these day. That and casual racism, of course. It's a pretty strong change from about a year ago when people mostly talked about the technology in question instead of attacking Tim Cook on a personal level or constantly complaining that they can't stand Apple yet buy their products every year. Thank you for bringing back some of the level-headed facts that used to be more prevalent here.
[doublepost=1496329697][/doublepost]
Apple is trading one monopolist for another.

Regardless, I suspect Intel actually pays their bills, unlike Qualcomm.
 
This is unfortunate. It's fairly common knowledge the Intel version of the iPhone 7 is significantly worse than the Broadcom version. I switched and signal strength and speed both went back up.

Sucks Apple has to go with the inferior supplier :-(

Fairly common? Do you have scientific data to back that claim up? No, not what another website said. Although, if you can find an article on Anandtech... then I'd count that.
 
Are you serious? "Sucks" is a way too harsh a term to be used here. Sucks should mean that the Intel WWAN chips are faulty, causing various issues like drop-outs and whatnot. Having a chip that gives you slightly worse Throughput/RSRP does not mean it downright sucks. People really need to get their acts together. This is no need to blow everything out of proportions all the time.

If you seriously consider the difference between the Qualcomm MDM9645M and Intel XMM7360 to be of such significance that the Intel versions downright sucks you must hate the iPhone 6S as the Qualcomm MDM9635M in the iPhone 6S scored worse on the Throughput/RSRP ratings on pretty much all the tests compared to the Intel XMM7360..

What's even funnier is how the Intel XMM7360 actually beats the Qualcomm MDM9645M at Throughput/RSRP on lower signal levels. But who care about that? People care more about having 140mbps vs 110mbps in good coverage, compared to having 15mbps vs 25mbps in bad coverage.

What kind of applications do you use while roaming that makes you notice the difference between having 140mbps vs 110mbps over LTE with good signal strength?




Good to see that there is still at least a few members who don't jump onto the whine-train as soon as a article goes live on Macrumours.

As someone who owns both the Qualcomm 7 Plus and the Intel 7 Plus, the Intel one is significantly worse. In low signal areas it drops VoLTE calls left and right. At my apartment holding them next to each other the Qualcomm model has a consistent 3 bars of LTE everywhere, the Intel model hovers around 1 bar and frequently drops to 4g.

It also has problems with initiating FaceTime audio calls in low signal areas. Hell, I can't even make FaceTime audio calls at my apartment with the Intel model because it switches from 1 bar of LTE (that still is pretty fast, mind you) to 4g about 10 seconds into the call which causes it to drop. This happens every. single. time. In my hometown and all around my state in general it's the same thing. Driving to my college the Intel model loses service in various parts of the trip while the Qualcomm model holds onto at least one bar of LTE. I've had them side by side while I tested this.

I don't care about faster speeds and all that crap, I care about my phone working in areas where service is less than stellar. The Qualcomm model handles those situations perfectly and doesn't drop calls. The same cannot be said for the Intel model. This is a real problem that many people seem to think isn't an issue, but it really is.

And keep in mind I've used the Intel one since launch up until I acquired a Qualcomm model a month ago. No matter which way you look at it, the Qualcomm model handily beats the Intel model in every way. I don't think Intel will have a modem that competes with Qualcomm's until the XMM 7560 is released. Unfortunately, that won't be in devices until 2018.
 
What
As someone who owns both the Qualcomm 7 Plus and the Intel 7 Plus, the Intel one is significantly worse. In low signal areas it drops VoLTE calls left and right. At my apartment holding them next to each other the Qualcomm model has a consistent 3 bars of LTE everywhere, the Intel model hovers around 1 bar and frequently drops to 4g.

It also has problems with initiating FaceTime audio calls in low signal areas. Hell, I can't even make FaceTime audio calls at my apartment with the Intel model because it switches from 1 bar of LTE (that still is pretty fast, mind you) to 4g about 10 seconds into the call which causes it to drop. This happens every. single. time. In my hometown and all around my state in general it's the same thing. Driving to my college the Intel model loses service in various parts of the trip while the Qualcomm model holds onto at least one bar of LTE. I've had them side by side while I tested this.

I don't care about faster speeds and all that crap, I care about my phone working in areas where service is less than stellar. The Qualcomm model handles those situations perfectly and doesn't drop calls. The same cannot be said for the Intel model. This is a real problem that many people seem to think isn't an issue, but it really is.

And keep in mind I've used the Intel one since launch up until I acquired a Qualcomm model a month ago. No matter which way you look at it, the Qualcomm model handily beats the Intel model in every way. I don't think Intel will have a modem that competes with Qualcomm's until the XMM 7560 is released. Unfortunately, that won't be in devices until 2018.

What carrier?
 
There's only one solution: Apple makes one themselves.
Apple would still have to pay royalties to Qualcomm. Remember, Qualcomm owns a lot of the patents required to build a modern mobile radio.
They still pay them even if they went all Intel. Technically Intel would pay them and pass the cost on to Apple as part of the chip cost.
 
Does anyone expect Intel's XXM 7560 to be in production in time (and in significant numbers) to be the chip they go with? It's the only way the Apple could satisfy Verizon and Sprint's CDMA requirements.
I've also been trying to find complete specs on the 7560, but so far have only found preliminary specs from the announcement. I'd like to know if Intel plans to support 600MHz Band 71 with this chip, as T-Mobile just bought a significant share of that frequency, nationwide.
 
Comments like yours are why this forum needs the down-vote arrow back again.
I miss those days with the down vote. I know everyone only likes "likes" now thanks to Facebook but Disqus and forums need down votes for trolls.
[doublepost=1496343243][/doublepost]
Apple would still have to pay royalties to Qualcomm. Remember, Qualcomm owns a lot of the patents required to build a modern mobile radio.
They'd still have to be licensed FRAND. But patents do expire and CDMA has been around a long time. It may be nearing the tipping point where the value of newer patents not held by Qualcomm overcome the value of older patents. See the ASML/Zeiss vs Nikon lawsuits over previously licensed technology.
 
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