When it comes to mobile communication chips, Qualcomm has cemented itself as Apple’s go-to supplier.
The San Diego-based semi-conductor company dominates the mobile chips business like Apple dominates tablets, but Intel is ready to steal a large chunk of it, and according to the president of Intel Korea, Lee Hee-sung, it’s only a matter of time before Apple converts.
“Chances are high that global smartphone makers such as Apple and LG Electronics will use Intel’s baseband chips in their products down the road. Such collaborations are highly likely given that the world’s largest smartphone maker, Samsung Electronics, has recently announced its midrange premium handset the Galaxy Alpha, which contains Intel’s XMM7260 baseband modem.”
Samsung might have jumped on Intel’s modem, but the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus received a speed boost thanks to Qualcomm’s new LTE modem that enables speeds up to 300Mbps.
Apple has only used Intel’s chips in the 3GS and iPhone 4, but there have been rumors that the two companies are in talks. After the slow death of the PC, Intel has been trying to make up lost ground in the mobile space. It’s mobile processors have been popular in 2-in-1’s and are still used on the Mac, but the company is still losing out to competitors like Qualcomm, who already has 70 percent of the global market for baseband processors.
