A recent Bloomberg report on Apple’s RF ambitions is probably not as earth shaking as it seems. That being said, Apple appears to have some very big, tantalizing ambitions for pushing what is possible with communications.
Qualcomm’s investor day unveiled the company’s new positioning around edge devices, a strategy which allows them to repurpose existing products for a much wider array of customers.
Before we get to autonomous vehicles, there is going to be a big market for a special-purpose automotive processors (APU?). That chip is going to look a lot like a mobile app processor, and Qualcomm may be the best positioned to capture the opportunity.
Vodafone is doubling down on its internal software team – we think this model will not work for most other telcos.
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.
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.
The Apple Satellite Phone? Probably not, the laws of physics…maybe an emergency messaging system or maybe just a new operator relationship.
What are they thinking? – Google used its burgeoning chip design capabilities to create an apps processor phones. It is likely to have some incredible AI features, but it is unlikely to see much adoption or to change the industry.
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.
Fox in the Hen House Re-match: Open RAN – Intel vs. Qualcomm Rematch – Intel is building up a software ecosystem in telecom equipment which may be their first success in 20 years of trying to break into the industry.
Digits to Dollars 