Arthur Hanson
Well-known member
Word on the street is if Intel does take some Apple mobile chip from Qualcomm, the business it will be at zero or worse margin. This is in line with Intel's past performance of contra revenues to win mobile business.
Intel and Mobile
- Thread starter Arthur Hanson
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This is still hard for me to believe. Intel's modems are not competitive with QCOMs. Intel's current modems (XMM7260 and XMM 7360) are generations behind in features and capabilities. They are also manufactured on TSMC 28nm while QCOM is using 14nm so both power and performance are much better as well. And Apple is not as price sensitive as you have heard. Apple is always looking for the best technical solution.
Once again this is the Intel PR machine at its finest. Intel missed mobile....... and has billions and billions of dollars in losses to prove it. How is Andy Bryant still the Chairman of Intel? Any other company would have a new Chairman after the 14nm and mobile debacle.
Once again this is the Intel PR machine at its finest. Intel missed mobile....... and has billions and billions of dollars in losses to prove it. How is Andy Bryant still the Chairman of Intel? Any other company would have a new Chairman after the 14nm and mobile debacle.
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This is the Intel LTE chip that is manufactured on TSMC 28nm, right? The Infineon chip?
Michael Domnitei
I am not surprised about Intel goofing on mobile segment. I was part of the MMO (Mobile Module Operations) which was the first Intel mobile business in 1997/1998. We successfully launched simultaneously a processor and a product based on it in order to enable the Laptop industry. What happened next? Intel closed that business unit because they said that they accomplished the goal. So, everybody went different directions in Intel or outside. Later on, they realized that actually the mobile industry is where the big money is and tried to recreate a new mobile dept but only less than 5 people from the old mobile group were back including one top manager which caused the closing of the business group. Since this manager was clueless and had no vision for the mobile, one shouldn't be surprised that Intel missed the opportunities and actually failed since they lost billions. It took many years and many billions of lost dollars until they fired the top 4 managers of the mobile groups.
I am not surprised about Intel goofing on mobile segment. I was part of the MMO (Mobile Module Operations) which was the first Intel mobile business in 1997/1998. We successfully launched simultaneously a processor and a product based on it in order to enable the Laptop industry. What happened next? Intel closed that business unit because they said that they accomplished the goal. So, everybody went different directions in Intel or outside. Later on, they realized that actually the mobile industry is where the big money is and tried to recreate a new mobile dept but only less than 5 people from the old mobile group were back including one top manager which caused the closing of the business group. Since this manager was clueless and had no vision for the mobile, one shouldn't be surprised that Intel missed the opportunities and actually failed since they lost billions. It took many years and many billions of lost dollars until they fired the top 4 managers of the mobile groups.
Maanez shah
As Krzanich said, Its still forecast to decline but that decline is slowing. So what i think is Intel must have to make a close look in emerging market and has to do the potential, thats only required. so In the coming year, quadruple Intel’s tablet business andit will be more than 40 million units. (I am a Man who always studies Intel, And its my opinion).
As Krzanich said, Its still forecast to decline but that decline is slowing. So what i think is Intel must have to make a close look in emerging market and has to do the potential, thats only required. so In the coming year, quadruple Intel’s tablet business andit will be more than 40 million units. (I am a Man who always studies Intel, And its my opinion).
If one gives a modem away, or sells it at or below the cost of production, has one really "won the socket"?
I think that falls under the Contra Revenue label. You can already buy cheap iPhone knock offs in China and India so what other market is there for SE?
justinfisher
New member
I was part of the design team of that chip. That was a long time ago, 28nm was brand new at the time. They must surely have taped out more up-to-date designs by now!
So we have to learn actual process width of SE from some teardown analysis from Chipworks?
So we have to learn actual process width of SE from some teardown analysis from Chipworks?
The rumor around the valley is it has the same silicon as the 6S with the TSMC version of the A9. That could help explain the extra 16nm fab capacity TSMC announced. We will know soon enough.
They always talk of it moving to fabrication at Intel's fabs "next year", but it never happens. In fact, Intel has started fabricating their x3 atom SoC at TSMC (presumably because it's much cheaper than at Intel's 14nm)
The new TSMC 16FFC is even less expensive. Im looking forward to seeing a cost per gate chart compared to the other FinFET processes.
According to Fudzilla today, Qualcomm won the iPhone SE slot, not Intel. Back in December, the same blog (Fudzilla), had claimed the 4" iPhone that would be announced in March (i.e. the SE), would contain an Intel modem.
Yes, the word is out, it is QCOM. The so called analysts are still saying the iPhone 7 will have Intel modems even though Apple has been using QCOM modems ever since I can remember.
Whichever one "wins" Intel and Qualcomm are both equally screwed. We're nearing the last hurrahs for the merchant line of business in mobile. All the major smartphone manufacturers are vertically integrating with their own custom or semi-custom silicon, which is not Intel's or Qualcomm's model. It doesn't help to be first in a market in steep decline.
The economics of mobile remain a mystery to me. It seems to be a good business for Apple, possibly Qualcomm, but no one else. Is Intel to be scorned for missing mobile, or was missing mobile a lucky break?
The economics of mobile remain a mystery to me. It seems to be a good business for Apple, possibly Qualcomm, but no one else. Is Intel to be scorned for missing mobile, or was missing mobile a lucky break?
My personal view is missing mobile is going to turn into a big problem for Intel, but not because I think it's going to be a highly profitable market. The cost of moving to the next node is becoming increasingly costly overtime, with complexity increasing exponentially. The only way the costs can be justified is with a very large volume of chips to amortize that cost across. This is why Intel is slowing down while TSMC was able to catch up and will soon surpass Intel on process. If PC volumes keep declining, I question if it will be economic for Intel to move to 7nm at all. And if the foundries get a process node ahead of Intel, then the threat to the datacenter becomes very real.
I don't think the average analyst understands just how important volumes are.
I don't think the average analyst understands just how important volumes are.