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According to Venturebeat in reference to DigiTimes, Apple chose the Mediatek Taiwan 5G modem for HomePod. Thus, the publication suggests, the company considers Mediatek as a possible supplier of one of the key components for its smartphones.
The publication claims that the final agreement between the companies has not yet been signed, but it is formal. as modems for gadgets do not often care about the general public, and until 5G is still at least a year, for the industry, the news is interesting many times.
Qualcomm: and the battle continues
Apple mobile devices in the last years has been Qualcomm. However, over the past two years, the relationship between the partners has become frustrated, and Apple has decided that the provider was asking for a lot of money for license deductions, and at the same time accused him of bribery to create an exclusive status.
Among the corporations were the courts, and Qualcomm was forced to pay billions of fines in various jurisdictions (we analyzed the problem in a separate detail)
In the last generation of the l & # 39; iPhone, the company was using Intel modems in part. Before switching to 5G, Apple not only changed its position on Qualcomm, it refused to take advantage of the once-notable competitor in the mobile chipset market.
Supply chain: the economy should be economic
Apple is a unique company in terms of margin the integrity of products. The company earns more than half of all money in the smartphone market, and in other segments does not refuse to make a high profit. In many ways, this helps the supply chain perfectly fit and the ability to twist hand to partners.
In future generations, Apple iPhone again plans to optimize component costs and use accurate details for a more affordable iPhone. And even more to reach out to suppliers because they may not be market leaders, but "second companies". Well, I can congratulate Mediatek for the fact that she was lucky enough to become second. Although it is not a fact that the partnership with Apple seems to be a raspberry
Trade War: Empty
If Apple was drawing attention to Trump's policy and expectations of technology, she would probably thought to use another product. minimum, with neutral roots (Mediatek has a Taiwanese residence permit). Intel, for example.
In Tim Cook and Donald Trump, there are many differences in publicly known opinions. And here is another stone in the city of the President of the United States. While Apple is unlikely to be reluctant to obey, the company is still looking for economic feasibility.
Apple partners: no one is protected
Apple (like any other business based on considerations of opportunity) can not guarantee the stability of its supplier relationships. Early sources from the list of potential component suppliers for the upcoming iPhone have shown that even long-term partners can suddenly fall under the hood. but priorities will be given to more affordable options
Mediatek: new heights
In the biography of Mediatek Apple – the most statutory partner. The company began to climb the smartphone market with little known Chinese players. Later, when a separate leader appeared in the form of Samsung and Huawei in other roles, Mediatek's products appeared in ever-legendary brands that were trying to save a lot on components to withstand Samsung .
Finally, a few years ago, Mediatek gave up the idea of competing with Qualcomm in the high-end segment and stopped developing flagship processors. Now, in mobile devices, his interests are concentrated in the lower and middle segments.
But suddenly, the company bypassed the competition where, apparently, it never had a chance – in contracts with Apple. And do not talk about processors (that's Apple), and not yet smartphones, it's still a small psychological victory for the Thai.
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