4 ms·

Are those from Infineon->Intel->Apple modem lineage or is that a different team?

by relevant_thing 5y ago

AceJohnny2 5y ago
I think the acquisition of the Intel modem group is too recent to have been integrated into the Apple watch
- sroussey 5y ago
  Why would they have not used them before the acquisition?
  - my123 5y ago
    Apple Watch uses Intel IBIS or Qualcomm cellular modems depending on model (for those with cellular). Wi-Fi/BT is handled separately by Apple-designed chips for the newer ones.
  - gumby 5y ago
    One of the recent phones (X or 11?) used Intel for part of its builds (as far as I remember you couldn’t tell from serial number). Apple had a lot of problems and swore off the Intel parts, which killed Intel’s wireless business. I assumed Apple bought the Intel product line for IP, especially after that episode.
    - jerrysievert 5y ago
      the iPhone 7 used the intel wireless chip. it was a major downgrade for me from my iPhone 6 at the time: speeds were lower for data transfers, and reception was less (could be attributed to an antenna change?) overall, I was very happy to get a phone that didn't use the intel chips.
    - kalleboo 5y ago
      Apple used Intel modems for many generations - the iPhone 7, X/8, XS, 11. For some generations they used Qualcomm chips in the models for CDMA regions since Intel didn't make a CDMA modem. So you could tell which chip you'd get from the iPhone model number. Apple ditched Intel due to Intel being at least a year behind on 5G. These modems were all LTE modems though. They've always used separate Broadcom chips for WiFi/Bluetooth.
      - TwoBit 5y ago
        > due to Intel being at least a year behind That's not the only thing Intel is at least a year behind on.
      - Reason077 5y ago
        > "For some generations they used Qualcomm chips in the models for CDMA regions since Intel didn't make a CDMA modem." Yeah. The Qualcomm-equipped international version of the iPhone X notoriously got significantly better LTE speeds compared to the Intel-modem version sold in UK/Europe.
    - reader_mode 5y ago
      >which killed Intel’s wireless business I was under the impression that modern laptops ship with intel WiFi cards (I think I saw some Lenovo laptop use it). Do you mean it killed their modems ?
      - wumpus 5y ago
        WiFi and cellphones are both wireless, but this discussion is about cellphones.
GloriousKoji 5y ago
I'll just leave this old 2012 article link here. https://www.macrumors.com/2012/12/03/apple-hiring-former-texas-instruments-engineers-in-israel/ https://www.macrumors.com/2012/12/03/apple-hiring-former-tex...
my123 5y ago
For Wi-Fi/BT, it's an Apple team separate from modem efforts.

Are those from Infineon->Intel->Apple modem lineage or is that a different team?

AceJohnny2 5y ago

I think the acquisition of the Intel modem group is too recent to have been integrated into the Apple watch

sroussey 5y ago
Why would they have not used them before the acquisition?
- my123 5y ago
  Apple Watch uses Intel IBIS or Qualcomm cellular modems depending on model (for those with cellular). Wi-Fi/BT is handled separately by Apple-designed chips for the newer ones.
- gumby 5y ago
  One of the recent phones (X or 11?) used Intel for part of its builds (as far as I remember you couldn’t tell from serial number). Apple had a lot of problems and swore off the Intel parts, which killed Intel’s wireless business. I assumed Apple bought the Intel product line for IP, especially after that episode.
  - jerrysievert 5y ago
    the iPhone 7 used the intel wireless chip. it was a major downgrade for me from my iPhone 6 at the time: speeds were lower for data transfers, and reception was less (could be attributed to an antenna change?) overall, I was very happy to get a phone that didn't use the intel chips.
  - kalleboo 5y ago
    Apple used Intel modems for many generations - the iPhone 7, X/8, XS, 11. For some generations they used Qualcomm chips in the models for CDMA regions since Intel didn't make a CDMA modem. So you could tell which chip you'd get from the iPhone model number. Apple ditched Intel due to Intel being at least a year behind on 5G. These modems were all LTE modems though. They've always used separate Broadcom chips for WiFi/Bluetooth.
    - TwoBit 5y ago
      > due to Intel being at least a year behind That's not the only thing Intel is at least a year behind on.
    - Reason077 5y ago
      > "For some generations they used Qualcomm chips in the models for CDMA regions since Intel didn't make a CDMA modem." Yeah. The Qualcomm-equipped international version of the iPhone X notoriously got significantly better LTE speeds compared to the Intel-modem version sold in UK/Europe.
  - reader_mode 5y ago
    >which killed Intel’s wireless business I was under the impression that modern laptops ship with intel WiFi cards (I think I saw some Lenovo laptop use it). Do you mean it killed their modems ?
    - wumpus 5y ago
      WiFi and cellphones are both wireless, but this discussion is about cellphones.

GloriousKoji 5y ago

I'll just leave this old 2012 article link here. https://www.macrumors.com/2012/12/03/apple-hiring-former-texas-instruments-engineers-in-israel/ https://www.macrumors.com/2012/12/03/apple-hiring-former-tex...

my123 5y ago

For Wi-Fi/BT, it's an Apple team separate from modem efforts.