Over the years, Apple has turned its face ruthlessly, first "kicking away" Qualcomm and then "firing" Intel, all it does is to achieve chip freedom.
Finally, this day is coming, the market sent out a news: the iPhone 15 released in 2023 will all use Apple's self-developed chips for the first time, of which the self-developed 5G chips and RF ICs will use TSMC's 5nm process and 7nm process, respectively, while the A17 application processor will use TSMC's 3nm mass production.
In the past, Apple was highly dependent on Chip Manufacturers such as Intel and Qualcomm in the field of baseband chips, which made the giant very passive, if Qualcomm and other suppliers played a temper, did not give goods or gave less goods, Apple also had no way to take them. Although Apple and Qualcomm have cooperated for many years, the relationship between the two giants is not so good, in 2017, Apple also filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm for maliciously levying patent fees, monopolizing the market, and opening the curtain of the patent game war between the two sides.
Originally under the Qualcomm patent licensing system, whether Apple uses his chip or not, it must pay a patent fee, the amount is about 3.25% of the price of an iPhone, for example, an iPhone 13 Pro Max priced at 8999 yuan, Qualcomm can extract 292.5 yuan of patent fees, this money is not nothing for buying an Apple that can earn up to 6000 yuan, but Apple is not happy, think Qualcomm charges are unreasonable.
After two years of making trouble, the two sides shook hands and made peace, repaired the old good, Apple is also helpless, after all, after kicking away Qualcomm, found a "pig teammate" Intel to engage in baseband chips, so that the iPhone signal is not online, tragically complained by users. Angry to the apple minutes want to turn the face, really the mountain will fall, rely on everyone will run, it is better to rely on themselves.
However, cooperation with Intel is only Apple's choice in the short term, and its determination to find chip independence has not stopped, and has long become an "open secret" in the industry. No, the iPhone 15 is using its own developed chip, which means that Apple is about to successfully "de-qualcommize" and "de-Intelize".
Text | Li Zejun title | Huang Zi gallium trial | Lee Ze-plutonium