Macworld UK: 'Apple 3G iPhone closing in on launch - UBS'

[BoyBach]

Apple has signed-up its first component suppliers for its next-generation iPhone and will release a 3G model of the device by the middle of the year, an analyst firm confirmed this morning.

Analysts at UBS report Apple to have reached a deal with Infineon Technologies to supply some components for the new device.

The report informs UBS analysts believe a 3G model of the device will be released "by mid-year". The analysts also report that production of the current EDGE-based iPhone is being reduced earlier than expected in order to clear inventories, making way for the launch of the new model.

***

A Morgan Stanley report this week points out that Apple CEO Steve Jobs engaged in much travel in the last quarter of 2007, with the cost of his jet (which Apple pays) tripling to $550,000.

More importantly, that report confirms research and development pending at Apple increased 34 per cent, year-on-year. The analysts suggest this as potential evidence of more iPhone development and Jobs' key involvement in arranging new deals with mobile networks for the extension of the device to other geographies.

- Macworld UK link

 

[t0mat0]

Macrumors member quotes Macworld quotes FoxBusiness, quotes UBS analyst:

"German chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG will likely be supplying the new systems solution to Apple Inc.'s next-generation iPhone"
"The broker said this is not yet the consensus view and could be a positive catalyst for the stock."
"It also believes that 3G-enabled iPhones will be released by mid-year and that the current EDGE iPhone platform is being ramped down earlier than expected to "clean" inventories."

3 cheers for the "analysts that get paid for this stuff.

Hop onto https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/438408/ and find some better info. Or add some!

E.g. Motorola's already in bed with Infineon to make their custom 3G transceiver chip based on its existing Smarti UE device. Said to be shipping 4Q 2008 to selected customers.

http://www.dspdesignline.com/news/202101487 Infineon tunes its 3G transceiver for Motorola

Other chips of interest:
XMM™Dual-Core
S-GOLD2 baseband
SMARTi™UE+, XMM 6080 Platform (HEDGE)


Other 3G chip players? Broadcom, TI, Samsung, Qualcomm, EMP, Freescale, Infineon, Philips, Agere...

 

[jimN]

Of concern to UK customers is the news today that O2's 3G roll-out is the worst of the five major networks. If they don't make 80% coverage by summer they will have the length of their 3G contract reduced (only be a few months but apparently the estimated losses are 40m pounds), currently they have about 75.7% coverage in the UK.

Given how poor 3G coverage seems to be with the 'good' networks I would hate to see what it's like with the underachieving ones.

 

[drb6]

kewl