Qualcomm Supply Issues Providing Further Fuel for Speculation of Fall iPhone Release

[Dmunjal]

Plus deciding what chip is in it just look at the new iPad. Since every iPad launch has the cellular chip that the same iPad chip shown up in the iPhone release later that same year?

But the iPad LTE chip doesn't support voice, only data. The iPhone will need this new chip from Qualcomm.

 

[yeah]

By the time the NEW iPhone is launched, ATT should have Philly LTE up and running. I am sure it will be much sooner, but for me personally it won't matter until Apple releases an LTE device.

Not sure if I will stick with Verizon or not, but I'm one of the few who has actually had a better experience with ATT then I have Verizon.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1601358

Well for now if I would choose Verizon since they cover 2/3 of the USA with fast LTE! But we will see in the future.

 

[iSayuSay]

If the next iPhone killer feature is LTE, and maybe slightly improved A5X SoC, I wouldn't think it will appeal to many people. I mean how well LTE has been developed? most country still don't have them. Worst case scenario is if Apple decide to implement LTE like they did on 3rd gen iPad. Only works on US and Canada

Sure 4G LTE will be standard in a few years. But it's not well developed yet right now. iPhone 3G was exist when 3G already commonly available and mature, it appeals people to get one. Can't say the same for LTE.

 

[dazed]

It can't arrive soon enough. Then other people can buy it, find all the problems with it and then I can buy the fixed version later on

 

[thekev]

AT&T: $325 - $10 for each month you've had service.
Verizon: $350 - $10 for each mont you've had service.

Since the subsidy is higher than the ETF for the iPhone, that's why carriers secretly wish people would be other phones instead because they would make $100 more off of you. $100 per phone * millions of users is not chump change, especially when you start everyone using smartphones in a couple of years.

This is why Verizon continues to push Android and AT&T is taking a chance with Windows Phone; iPhones cost them money relative to other platforms (and I haven't even gotten into the fact that Android and Windows Phone lets them preload their own branded apps onto the device, leading to more revenue for them)

Voice already isn't the primary use of smartphones, SMS revenues are beginning to dry up due to iMessage, BBM, Whatsapp and other messaging services, and carriers haven't figured out how to charge for data yet other than silly caps. And when a Voice over LTE arrives, there will be zero difference between that and a Skype call, it's all IP Telephony that's at that point (so why should I pay $40 for 450 minutes when a Skype package is FAR cheaper?)

Regardless, a lot goes on in the mind of a wireless carrier. If we aren't aware of what they are doing, we are going to get screwed.

You are ignoring how it works. If they're subsidizing the phone, especially at the subsidy cost of the iphone, they're going to ensure their margins are adequate within the contract term. If everything became data only, pricing may shift to compensate. Also keep in mind skype can't be used for emergency services. Assuming it can find a network, you can still dial 911 here without a plan on the phone if I recall correctly.

Thanks!! It would be great if someone came out with a data-only service for a data-only phone. That would be awesome - a world-wide, data-only service (no roaming) that you just use Skype with, wherever you are.

Perchance to dream....

This wouldn't surprise me that much, even with the lack of emergency services thing that I just mentioned, but I wouldn't expect any huge phone subsidies there. I don't care for the subsidized model at all. I only use it because a monthly plan isn't cheaper outside of contracts here.

 

[derbladerunner]

If the next iPhone killer feature is LTE, and maybe slightly improved A5X SoC, I wouldn't think it will appeal to many people. I mean how well LTE has been developed? most country still don't have them. Worst case scenario is if Apple decide to implement LTE like they did on 3rd gen iPad. Only works on US and Canada

Aside from geographical issues with different LTE frequencies around the world you mentioned, what is the real usage case for LTE in a phone ?

I guess most people would prefer a longer battery life instead of LTE.

HSDPA and similar technologies are more than enough for browsing (the bottleneck usually is rendering the page, not the connection speed) and other usage cases in a mobile phone imho.

I don't see any incentive for normal consumers who don't know what tethering is let alone use the feature (ie. 90% of iphone buyers) to buy a new LTE phone.

NFC payments is another feature everyone is talking about but never seems to take off and I wonder whether it will make it into thr new iphone.

I guess the interesting features will have to come with iOS 6 on the software side, improvements to Siri or similar...

 

[macintoshi]

Believe what? That these chips are going to be delayed?

I believe it will be the same LTE as in IPAD.Hopefully not,but if,then something goes wrong inside apple!

 

[justperry]

Hope it supports 4G in Europe..

I think it will.

The MDM9615 and MDM8215 are designed to pair up with the WTR1605 radio frequency IC and PM8018 power management IC to provide a highly integrated chipset solution. The WTR1605 will be Qualcomm’s first Radio Transceiver in Wafer Level Package and will be a highly integrated radio transceiver with multi-mode (LTE FDD, LTE TDD, CDMA, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, GSM) and multi-band support.

http://www.qualcomm.com/media/releases/2011/02/14/qualcomm-introduces-28nm-mass-market-ltedc-hspa-chipsets-mobile-broadband-

Next iPhone after that (2013) will probably support LTE Adv.

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that its next generation Gobi™ modem chipsets, the MDM8225™, MDM9225™ and MDM9625™ chipsets, will begin sampling in Q4 2012 and will be the first to support both HSPA+ Release 10 and the next-generation of the LTE mobile broadband standard, LTE Advanced.

http://www.qualcomm.com/media/releases/2012/02/27/qualcomm-third-generation-lte-chipsets-are-first-support-hspa-release-10-l

 

[Nuvi]

It's a tough call to build in a chip that will handle both LTE and international 4G knowing that over 90% of users will never use their phones outside the USA. That's like building old TVs that operate using both PAL and NTSC signals. It's unfortunate tha USA companies don't latch onto international standards.

It's not really a tough call. It's actually a nobrainer. Even the economics of scale in manufacturing dictate the need for wide standard support. Even more so it's all about world wide market share. US is not 90% of iPhone sales. Having wide support for LTE is must for new iPhone if Apple wants to stay competitive. If not Google and MS will be more then happy to help those who are left out from Apple's LTE support. FYI most TV sets operate both PAL and NTSC in HW level even if one of them were disabled in order to control the product distribution.

 

[TallManNY]

I hope the new form factor is as good as the current one. I decided recently to go "naked" on my iPhone 4 and I'm constantly impressed by the appearance and tactile build quality of it. That experience really is dramatically diminished when you put the phone in a case.

Of course, I don't expect to be naked and not dinged up for two years with the phone. I'm only naked now because I can upgrade to 4S on my contract for $200. My hope is that I won't break my current phone due to a caseless drop until 5 is out (so about 6 months, tops), but since I can get 4S for $200 I'm not particularly worried about a break now.

 

[deconstruct60]

If, hypothetically, the A6 was a stacked design with a dual core CPU, dual core GPU, 2 layers of memory, and a baseband chip, and Apple simply licenses the IP from Qualcomm for the baseband, and Nvidia for the GPU, it could make a single chip solution.

Qualcomm and Nvidia are about as likely to license their IP as Apple is likely to license Mac OS X to clone vendors. That isn't how they make money. Qualcomm , Nvidia, and Apple all outsource their manufacturing but they also all make money selling product. They just don't make the physical devices in their own factories.

Besides, Imagination Tech's GPUs more than hold their ground on performance/watt basis with Nvidias. There was zero pressing reason to put them in the current iPad (2012). Likewise, there is no pressing reason for Apple to merge the CPU/GPU in with the radio chip just now. If Qualcomm solidifies GPS/broadband/wifi/bluetooth into one "total communications" chip that is small and low powered that would be good enough.

It would be far easier to Apple to package a better amount of RAM (1-2GB ) as densities increase than to try to push the radio into the CPU/GPU package. For relatively small storage devices (8GB ) it would also be easier to stack the Flash on top also if its densities get high enough.

It isn't just density, you're not going to be able to package together a large number of dies is there is a thermal dissipation problem also.


The Apple product most in need of a single chip solution is Apple TV. It doesn't have a broadband radio and probably never will.

Qualcomm and Intel have put together CPU/GPU/Radio combos. It is highly questionable though Apple has to follow them down that path given the broader scope of the devices that need Apple CPU/GPU packages.