In 2014 Apple released the iPhone 6 which included the first SoC built on a TSMC (20nm) process. This phone started what many call a “Super Cycle” of people upgrading. According to Apple, they now have more than 1 billion activated devices so this super cycle could be seriously super, absolutely.… Read More
Here Come Holograms
A quick digression into a fun topic. A common limitation in present-day electronics is the size and 2D nature of the display. If it must be mobile this is further constrained, and becomes especially severe in wearable electronics, such as watches. Workarounds include projection and bringing the display closer to the eye, as in … Read More
Augmented Reality Broke My iPhone!
As a semiconductor professional I am always looking for the “next big thing” that will spur growth in our industry. Mobile, IoT, Automotive, and AI are the current leaders we closely track on SemiWiki.com. Last year I delved into augmented reality via the Pokemon Go game and after a solid year of research (yes I finished the game) … Read More
DAC 2017 Review
DAC is coming, next week, in beautiful downtown Austin at the Convention Center. I’ll be there Monday and Tuesday, running around the exhibit area. If you haven’t yet got your plane and hotel tickets, drop everything and start looking. I’m guessing this will be as popular as it always is, especially given the venue. I know of multiple… Read More
Active Voice
Voice activated control, search, entertainment and other capabilities are building momentum rapidly. This seems inevitable – short of Elon Musk’s direct brain links, the fastest path to communicate intent to a machine is through methods natural to us humans: speech and gestures. And since for most of us speech is a richer… Read More
Webinar – Voice Interfaces of the Future
In our favorite Sci-Fi or fantasy movies or series we routinely expect voice-control of the many devices encountered in those stories. This seems natural because that’s how we most easily communicate our needs and intent (short of direct brain connections, though Elon Musk is apparently working on that). Typing on a keyboard … Read More
Smart & Connected Devices to Artificial Intelligence and Beyond
Last Friday I attended a breakfast seminar organized by SEMI in Hillsboro, Oregon with fascinating speakers from several high-tech companies: Qorvo, Intel, Oregon Angel Fund, Kimera, Moonshadow Mobile and Yole Development. I recalled that Qorvo was created from the merger of TriQuint Semiconductor and RF Micro Devices back… Read More
When Will we Replace the 3.5 mm Jack in Modern Phones?
You have certainly experienced that modern mobile phones are used for more than phone calls and do not have room for multiple connectors. A new approach for audio connectivity is needed, allowing product designers to retire the 3.5mm jack. Considering the USB audio protocol to replace the analog audio solutions, typically using… Read More
One Cellular Technology to Rule Them All
5G, the planned successor to earlier mobile network standards, holds all kinds of promise for new capabilities beyond LTE, but for a while seemed stuck in debate on exactly what the standard should cover. Several problems are apparent. A path to higher bit-rates is complicated because of spectrum shortage and fragmentation (plans… Read More
Apple Going (IP) Vertical with no Imagination!
What conclusion could we derive from the recent (April 3) PR from Imagination where we learn that the company “has been notified by Apple Inc. (“Apple”), its largest customer, that Apple is of a view that it will no longer use the Group’s intellectual property in its new products in 15 months to two years time, and as such will not be … Read More
More Headwinds – CHIPS Act Chop? – Chip Equip Re-Shore? Orders Canceled & Fab Delay