They’ll probably be able to finally integrate the modem into the SoC, like Qualcomm does with Snapdragon. And I hope this means cellular is finally coming to the Mac.
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Kuo: Apple-Designed 5G Modem May Debut in iPhones as Early as 2023
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You do know Apple don't own arm right? Arm builds the latest gen, license out the schematics, and vendors are allowed to tweak it. I give you that Apple has done a great job at enhancing the architect but they didn't create it. Plus, Apple then goes to tsmc and ask them to build the cpu.
Intel goes to no one to build it. They have their own manufacturing. Just like with Samsung, they have their own manufacturing. Apple needs tons of vendor to build their phones parts and not to mention Foxconn.
Yes. Apple is trying to enter into someone's else specialty with no expertise. Look at their car division. It's gone nowhere fast and every car manufacturer they asked to help build the car turned them down. These stuff are incredibly difficult.
Most 5G patents are held by Huawei. Even Qualcomm licenses a lot of patents from Huawei, especially when it comes to TD as opposed to the traditional FDD technology.
Slowly moving towards complete vertical integration of their most important product.. Very nice indeed.
The big players in this field (companies like Qualcomm, Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung) have cross-licensing agreements. Huawei was very active in filing patents in recent years, but they entered the field relatively late and their portfolio of essential patents is still smaller compared to the older companies that practically invented cellular networks.
Apple has an architecture license from ARM, IIRC. The CPUs that Apple is now building, especially starting with A11 (Bionic) are such that they are closer to Intel in building it completely themselves than simply adapting an ARM design. In other words, Apple doesn’t use ARM schematics and then simply bolt on stuff. These are Apple-designed CPUS.
Then they simply have TSMC fabs produce the silicon for them as its not feasible (yet) for Apple to own and operate their own fabs (and likely never will be).
An automobile is an order of magnitude more complex than simply building a modem. Apple has the in-house chip expertise to build cellular modems that compete with Qualcomm even if it takes another couple of years before they release an Apple product with in-house cellular. Building an automobile is way outside their wheelhouse, a cellular modem, not so much.
Exactly. They have cross-licensing because they are equal. Cannot be said the same for Apple+Intel.
No, that‘s not right. Apple does not receive schematics from ARM. They receive only the instruction set specification, and they do the entire architecture, microarchitecture, logic design, circuit design, and physical design. This is no different than, when I was at AMD, when we would look at Intel’s instruction set, and then design the chip based on that.
Intel is about to use TSMC to fab more of their chips. AMD does not fab its own chips. What Apple is doing is the same as what AMD does, and similar to what Intel is about to start doing.
We have no idea if the apple-qualcomm agreement is a cross-license or not. Qualcomm certainly would need a license to Intel’s patents. They may have a pre-existing license.
There was a comparison done by Opensignal, even though they both have the 5G modems by Qualcomm, Android phones have a faster 5G download speed than iPhone 12. Apple not only needs to make a good 5G modem, but also they need to integrate it into their A SOC for better performance. Apple has a long way to go.
Good chance that Qualcomm doesn't have the right to license out others' licenses. If I were one of the major license holders, I would never sign an agreement like that with Qualcomm since it means the loss of future business deals.
Who knows, Apple might set up an office in San Diego and Qualcomm engineers may start to jump ship.
Another step in implementing Steve Jobs' Sand vision. Silicon sand poured in one end of an Apple factory, completed products come out the other end. All under Apple's control and marching to Apple's schedules. Apple Silicon was one step, this is another.
I’m not sure what that has to do with anything, unless I misunderstood the original post i was responding to. I didn;t say qualcomm has a right to license out intel/apple patents. I said qualcomm needs a license to those patents.
Unlike the Intel XMM 7480 and XMM 7680 modem chips, I think by the time the Apple-branded radio modem chips arrive in 2023, they'll be vastly better and use a lot less power, thanks to access to the radio modem chip being manufactured at TSMC.
If the rumor is correct, Apple has another 24 months to go before they begin any sort of mass production, so I’m not really all that worried. Awful lot of needless anxiety on this thread, though.
Intel's modem business was horrible.
They kept some people, but most of the experienced designers they let go.
For all intent, the Apple development is a restart with Intel IP.
It depends on which are necessary.
If they are necessary for 5G then the licensing would fall under FRAND and would be fixed for all comers.
No, they did not let most of the experienced designers go.
Darth Tulhu
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That's why I put "build" in quotations.
I am aware that they outsource hardware manufacturing.