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Qualcomm’s latest CPU for PCs beats Apple’s M1 and catches up with M2

Qualcomm's latest CPU for PCs beats Apple's M1 and almost catches up with the M2

Apple has been doing a great job with its Apple Silicon “M” chips for computers, as they deliver more performance without consuming too much power. On the other side, Qualcomm and Microsoft have been trying to develop a competitor to the Apple Silicon Macs. While the first attempts were unsuccessful, it seems that Qualcomm’s latest CPU has finally beaten Apple’s M1 and is catching up with M2 in terms of performance.

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Apple modem chip project failed because it’s harder than CPUs, engineers tell WSJ

Apple modem chip project failed | Illustrative chip photo

Attempts to design an Apple modem chip to replace the Qualcomm radio chips used in iPhones have been ongoing since at least 2018 – but some five years later have been deemed a failure by engineers who worked on the project.

Even by last year, the chip Apple managed to produce was found to be slower than Qualcomm ones, prone to overheating, and so large it would have occupied more than half the space inside an iPhone …

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Apple planned to introduce its own 5G chips in now-canceled iPhone SE 4 next year

Kuo: Mass production of iPhone SE 4 might be cancelled or delayed until 2024

Apple has been reportedly developing a so-called iPhone SE fourth-gen, but a new report affirms that no such product will ship. iPhone SE 4 was said to resemble the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 physical design, but include 5G connectivity and other modern specs. Being canceled rather than delayed is said to predominantly benefit Qualcomm.

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Apple 5G chip problem in iPhone 15 is likely legal, not technical

Apple 5G chip | iPhone pictured on city street running 5G speed test

See the update at the bottom of the piece.

The iPhone 15 was expected to be the first lineup to use an in-house Apple 5G chip instead of the Qualcomm ones used in current models. A recent report suggested that this won’t be the case because Apple has hit problems with the design, but a new analysis suggests that this is only half-right.

Which is to say, there is a problem with the Cupertino company’s attempt to dump Qualcomm in favor of an Apple modem chip, but it’s a legal one, not a technical one …

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Qualcomm bribed Apple, said EU, but European court rules that this was not proven

Qualcomm bribed Apple | A large pile of banknotes being offered

Chipmaker Qualcomm bribed Apple to the tune of billions of dollars, according to a European Union antitrust finding back in 2018. But a European court has now ruled that the case was not proven, and has overturned the billion-dollar fine imposed at the time.

The fact that Qualcomm paid billions of dollars to Apple is not in dispute; the issue is whether these payments influenced the iPhone maker’s choice of chip company …

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Apple-designed chip journey to continue with modem chip in 2023

Apple-designed chip journey to continue with modem chip in 2023

Earlier this year, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the Apple-designed chip journey would continue as the company worked on developing its own modem chip, and that we might see this as early as 2023. A new report today echoes this, but seems more confident about the 2023 date.

Apple currently uses Qualcomm for its modem chips, but has for many years been unhappy about this …

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Qualcomm can beat Apple M1 chip, says CEO, thanks to ex-Apple engineers

Qualcomm can beat Apple M1

Qualcomm can beat Apple’s M1 chip, says the company’s CEO, for one good reason: It has a team of chip architects who formerly worked on Apple Silicon. This includes former A-series chip lead Gerard Williams.

You may recall Apple was so upset at Williams leaving the company that it sued him, accusing him of exploiting Apple tech and poaching other key engineers…

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Qualcomm and others would invest in Arm if Nvidia purchase is blocked by regulators

Arm Nvidia acquisition

Nvidia announced last fall that it was officially starting the process of acquiring Arm Holdings from SoftBank for $40 billion. In the months since we’ve seen concerns from competitors and the deal hasn’t yet been approved or shut down by regulators. Now Qualcomm has shared that if the sale to Nvidia is blocked, it and others would invest in Arm.

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UK iPhone owners could be due a payout from Qualcomm

UK iPhone owners could be due a payout

UK iPhone owners could be in line for a payout from Qualcomm, if legal action by a major British consumer association succeeds. Each owner of an iPhone or Samsung smartphone bought since the beginning of October 2015 could receive around £30 ($42).

Qualcomm is accused of abusing its dominant position in the modem chip business to overcharge Apple and Samsung, which then passed costs on to consumers…

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Qualcomm unveils larger and faster in-screen fingerprint reader, coming to smartphones this year

At CES 2021 today, Qualcomm unveiled a new in-screen fingerprint sensor that it says is 50% faster and 77% larger than its previous technology. The new Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2 is expected to find its way to high-end Android flagships this year, and it comes as Apple works to bring Touch ID back to the iPhone.

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5nm chips: Apple will lead the way this year, with Samsung a distant 3rd

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A new report today says that Apple will be responsible for more than half of all 5nm chips made this year, and that Samsung will be in a distant third place at around 5% of the latest smaller-process chips. The A14 chip was Apple’s first use of a 5nm process.

Apple will also be in large part responsible for Qualcomm coming in second, at around a quarter of the likely production …

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Report: Qualcomm sees boost from strong iPhone 12 demand as Apple works on in-house modem

A new report on how the global chip makers stacked up for Q3 suggests that Qualcomm likely has the iPhone 12 to thank for solid growth and taking the number one spot with almost $5 billion in quarterly revenue. That almost a 40% increase from Qualcomm’s 2019 Q3. However, Apple’s work on an in-house modem is a reminder of the looming hit to Qualcomm’s revenue in the future.

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