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Apple: Qualcomm's hardball tactics squeezed Intel chips out of iPad Mini 2

Apple: Qualcomm's hardball tactics squeezed Intel chips out of iPad Mini 2

5 years ago
Anonymous $L9wC17otzH

https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-qualcomms-hardball-tactics-squeezed-intel-chips-out-of-ipad-mini-2/

Blevins thought the Qualcomm deal for the iPad Mini 2, which Apple codenamed J86, would be a good first step in a longer-term relationship. He found out otherwise in a 2013 meeting with Qualcomm President Christiano Amon, he said. Amon bluntly told Blevins, "I'm your only choice, and I know Apple can afford to pay it," Blevins recounted. That ultimatum led Blevins to clear his calendar and immediately start Project Antique to find a second modem chip supplier and "reduce the stranglehold Qualcomm had on us... It was no longer a level playing field as it was before."

The case, filed in January 2017, pits Qualcomm not only against the FTC but against several FTC allies, including Apple, Intel, Huawei and Lenovo. The outcome could either hobble or cement Qualcomm's business methods and how phone companies buy crucial components. But it remains to be seen whether it'll have much effect on factors consumers might notice, like smartphone prices or how soon they connect to next-gen 5G networks.