Apple Might Drop Intel-Acquired Infineon Chips In Next iPhone
September 10, 2010
Perhaps Steve Jobs isn't happy about Intel's purchase of Infineon after all. Less than three weeks after Intel purchased the iPhone cellular chip provider comes word that Apple might abandon it with the next iPhone.
According to The China Times, Apple may use Qualcomm baseband solutions instead, when the iPhone 5 is announced, likely sometime in mid-2011.
This comes after 9to5Mac reported that when Intel CEO Paul S. Otellini discussed his company's purchase of Infineon, Jobs seemed happy with the deal.
Intel and Apple have a history of not being friendly with one another where the iPhone is concerned. Since the inception of the device in 2007, Intel has been unable to get any of its components into the device. Its acquisition of Infineon was supposed to change that.
In 2008, Intel criticized the iPhone saying, "the iconic handset could not fully access the Internet without an Intel-made system."
To the end-user, whether or not Apple abandons Intel/Infineon doesn't mean a whole lot. However, this is an interesting addition to the ongoing Apple vs. Intel story.
