Kuo: Development on Apple-Designed Wi-Fi Chip Paused 'for a While'

[CarAnalogy]

Is Apple ok? There have been quite a few (unannounced) projects delayed or cancelled recently and lots of high level staff leaving. Seems like a lot is changing behind the scenes.

In this case I'm totally fine with it because this is not something Apple really needs to do themselves. I'm not sure it would even be a nice-to-have beyond the cost savings. As mentioned in the article, now is not the time to muck about with rolling your own wireless. Let the specialists do it and just buy their specialized products.

Now when it comes to cutting corners, that's where I'm starting to have concerns about Apple. But I'm glad they're not pushing ahead with in-house chips that they know aren't ready solely for the cost savings.

 

[JoEw]

Maybe Apple doesn’t have to design every single component in their devices.

There’s a benefit to offloading component design on other manufactures. It frees up Apple engineers to focus on other areas of the device.

I know Apple is a big company, but imagine the amount of employees needed to make industry leading components at Broadcom, Qualcomm, Samsung Display… it’s hundreds of thousands more head count than Apple.

It would be bad for Apple consumers if Apple tries to build their own components and falls behind their competitors over time.

Apple silicon has been an example of this working out incredibly well, it’s not a guarantee this will trickle down to other components in completely different industries.

 

[groove-agent]

Lots of cancelled projects by Apple in the rumours. Is it we're just hearing about more cancelled projects or is Apple really struggling to innovate?

 

[newyorksole]

Is Apple ok? There have been quite a few (unannounced) projects delayed or cancelled recently and lots of high level staff leaving. Seems like a lot is changing behind the scenes.

I believe this 100%. as I former employee and just a fan in general.

naturally, things change over time. but it does seem like despite all of their great products— there is a lot going on we aren’t hearing about.

 

[PsykX]

What can they "disrupt" in the industry of Wi-Fi chips ?
What can they "disrupt" in the industry of modem chips ?

I don't really understand why they're trying to get into these businesses.
I'd think it's to cut costs, but it's not automatically less expensive to develop things in-house. More often than not, it's more expensive.

 

[coffeemilktea]

Kuo says that "insufficient development resources" are therefore delaying the mass production of not only Apple's 5G chip, but also the Wi-Fi chip.

You'd think the most valuable company in the world could get sufficient development resources, but I guess not, huh?

 

[PsykX]

Is Apple ok? There have been quite a few (unannounced) projects delayed or cancelled recently and lots of high level staff leaving. Seems like a lot is changing behind the scenes.

This is the definition of R&D : Expect 95% to be worthless, and 5% gets in our hands at some point.

Or, in other words, when you want to do something, trying to know what to do takes 80% of the time, and actually doing it takes 20%. This applies to everything, including R&D, but trial-and-error adds up in R&D.

 

[metalsiren]

yea working on their own wireless SOC is dumb. even major networking companies such as Cisco , Aruba, Etc use RF Chips form Broadcom and or Qualcomm etc.(just for the RF chip itself the rest of the AP hardware is Cisco , Aruba etc own in-house chips)

 

[shawnforever]

LOL hearing about "insufficient development resources" of a company that has the weight of multiple tech companies is a laughingstock.

Right? I mean, just hire more? I don't get it.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Personally, focus is good. Let those great at making wifi chips make them.

I suspect this entire effort was only about penny pinching: "why pay the Broadcom premium when we can make it ourselves at our cost?" I wouldn't assume an Apple-branded wifi chip would deliver any better wifi signal reception.

So if they keep using one known to work very well, we consumers benefit from having tried, true & well-tested wifi hardware. If they make their own first one, we consumers are the guinea pigs of the first generation.

Accountants (& shareholders) want the extra (probably) pocket change savings per unit sold but- IMO- consumers might want consumer benefits over even more shareholder benefits. To me, it feels there is too much of latter lately, at consumers expense.

 

[cableguy84]

After the intel modem debacle i dont think they should bother

 

[wilhoitm]

I want to start my own rumor hoping it will catch on! I bet this Apple WiFi chip is what is delaying the Apple AR Headset! 😀

 

[Mr. Dee]

Having some diversity in suppliers is a good thing. Apple might be taking this thing too far. Just as they depend on multiple component manufacturers and assembly lines, the same should apply to what goes in the iPhone. This is more obsessive that actually creating an optimization. As we can see with Apple Silicon, they have not even passed down any savings to the consumer. I sense this likely an opportunity to cut corners and charge us even more.

 

[ignatius345]

Personally, focus is good. Let those great at making wifi chips make them.

I think the same could have been said of Intel processors at one time. Apple loves to be in control of their own hardware pipeline, and I think any component it makes sense for them own, they will.

As we can see with Apple Silicon, they have not even passed down any savings to the consumer. I sense this likely an opportunity to cut corners and charge us even more.

When I bought an M1 MacBook Air to replace my Intel i5 MacBook Air, I got -- for the same price -- a dramatically faster laptop that's more power efficient than anything else on the market. I'm good with that. If they outperform their competitors at the same or better price, how much money they make on the back end is their business as far as I'm concerned.

 

[wilhoitm]

Right? I mean, just hire more? I don't get it.

I get it! Don't forget that Apple is the only Tech Giant that has not announcing thousands of layoffs. Instead of hiring a whole new team to build the WiFi chip instead delay it but avoid layoffs! Smart move!

 

[antiprotest]

I hear Apple also gave up on making kettle cooked chips, which is a bummer.

Anyway I'd hope making all their own chips, edible or not, would translate into lower prices for customers. But so far it has only resulted in higher margins and profits for them.

 

[JPack]

Right? I mean, just hire more? I don't get it.

You make it sound like there's an unlimited pool of good radio engineers, just waiting to be hired.

That's not how it works. Nobody is sitting there, waiting for a job from Apple. They're already working for other companies.

If it were so easy to make a good Wi-Fi chip, there would be no Mediatek or Realtek. Everyone would "hire" their way to the level of Broadcom and Intel. Apple would "hire" their way to a 5G modem.

 

[jsalda]

A proprietary wifi chip that makes it mandatory to use it with a proprietary router is something we should hope for or praise?

Hell no.

I think he meant an chip that was solely Apple designed, not a proprietary chip that would have a proprietary protocol.

 

[Wildkraut]

You make it sound like there's an unlimited pool of good radio engineers, just waiting to be hired.

That's not how it works. Nobody is sitting there, waiting for a job from Apple. They're already working for other companies.

If it were so easy to make a good Wi-Fi chip, there would be no Mediatek or Realtek. Everyone would "hire" their way to the level of Broadcom and Intel. Apple would "hire" their way to a 5G modem.

Money makes the world go round, pay more and they'll come.

 

[wilhoitm]

A proprietary wifi chip that makes it mandatory to use it with a proprietary router is something we should hope for or praise?

Hell no.

It is not about proprietary implementations. Apple has to pay licensing and chip fees for every device sold when using chips from other vendors.

 

[jimbobb24]

LOL hearing about "insufficient development resources" of a company that has the weight of multiple tech companies is a laughingstock.

The group of electrical engineers capable of making wifi chips is probably a tiny group that several big companies all around the world compete for. Apple may be a giant...but not all human resources are equal and its possible you simply do not have the right people to make a tech project successful.

 

[Kylo83]

Everything is a delay now days

 

[bluecoast]

You have to think that Broadcom also probably owns patents to the optimal solutions to having a powerful and efficient wifi 6 chip and Apple is thus left with a sub-optimal solution.

Perhaps there's scope to develop patented methods to produce an excellent solution for wifi 7.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

More rumors from Ming-Chi “I Don’t Know” Kuo.

 

[JPack]

Money makes the world go round, pay more and they'll come.

That's a really narrow way of looking at things. People are motivated by extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Money is only part of the equation. Some of the brightest engineers are not motivated by money, but by working in a good team and stimulating work.

If it were as simple as money, Apple would have gutted Qualcomm of engineers years ago.