So far in this series, we have assumed that Apple is going to actually build a car, but there are many things that could go wrong and ultimately these will weigh heavily on a company that prides itself on being able to say no.
Apple can use its brand and its software to build a “Luxury” car, and use its supply chain to build that car for less, effectively re-segmenting the industry to maximize profit, not market share.
We are going to explore how Apple can extract and redistribute value in the Autos. First, we look at what Apple is best at.
The Reverse Qualcomm Squeeze – Qualcomm’s advances in RF products, including this week’s announcement of their filter line – positions Qualcomm to reverse the trend of their smartphone customers building their own silicon.
Recent analyst studies show that “Content Providers” are steadily taking control of the global communications infrastructure. This will have profound impacts on many industries, and the changes are still in early days.
China’s Patent March: In which the word “Encourage” does a lot of work – China is seeking to move its economy up the value chain, and this has meant a shifting series of conflicts over IP in many industries.
Where is Qualcomm Driving? – As the smartphone market matures, Qualcomm has finally taken steps to diversify into new markets – IoT and Auto both offer big opportunities, but may be many years away.
2021 State of the Mobile Baseband – Apple’s share gains, its leading Apps Processor, and growing pricing pressure for Android phones risks creating a vicious cycle for Qualcomm.
Intel 2.0 Follow-up – Intel has 3 key strategic goals, and this week they provided updates on all three. They are making steps in the right direction, but so much of what they promise is still many years away.
The 5-Year Plan for Semis – the whole debate about industrial policy for the US semis industry is muddled. One clue – whenever people start talking about Shenzhen it means they are focused on some other problem.
Digits to Dollars 