AppleInsider StaffApple chief executive Steve Jobs in a new interview dispels rumors that the company's recent acquisition of chipmaker P.A. Semi was a result of some kind of discord with Intel. Meanwhile, RIM will reportedly delay the release of its 3G BlackBerry handset in a move that could play to Apple's advantage.
In speaking to the Wall Street Journal following Apple's second-quarter earnings report Wednesday, Jobs reaffirmed that his company's relationship with its Mac microprocessor supplier Intel Corp. was as strong as ever, adding that he hopes it remains that way indefinitely.
"We have a great partnership with Intel,†he said. “We expect that to continue forever."
Though some have speculated that Apple's recent acquisition of P.A. Semi would in some way detract orders for future Intel chips, Jobs explained that the purchase was mainly driven by a liking for the firm's intelligence, rather than its existing products.
Corroborating a recent report by the EETimes, Jobs said Apple has long been involved in custom designing chips for iPhones and iPods and suggested that the company would rely on P.A. Semi’s expertise primarily for the forward development of those handheld products which were never based on Intel designs.
Although P.A. Semi is known for chips based on IBM's Power technology, from which Macs recently defected, there's absolutely no plans to ressurect a PowerPC-based Mac offering.
"I wouldn’t lose too much sleep over that,†he said. “We’re very happy with Intel."
3G BlackBerry delayed
Meanwhile, it appears Apple will have at least a month or two head start on rival smartphone maker Research In Motion should it debut is 3G iPhone in the expected June timeframe.
Reuters reports on a story originally published over at Fortune which notes that the high-speed wireless version of the company's BlackBerry smartphone for AT&T is facing delays. The report cites unnamed sources in saying that the US wireless carrier is concerned with the quality of calls made using pre-production units of the next-generation handset, which could push its introduction back as far as August from June.
AppleInsider notes, however, that the original piece over at Fortune was authored by Scott Moritz, who during his tenure at TheStreet.com was repeatedly accused of intentionally spreading misinformation on Apple to drive the down the company's share price. As such, his claims should be treated with caution.
In yet another twist, BoyGenius appears to be backing claims that the 3G BlackBerry is facing delays, but alleges that the information for the Fortune report was sourced from his website without accreditation.
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94 Comments
Well you can spin it any way you want but that reads as a blow to Intel IMO.
Intel make no bones about it. They see Moorestown and subsequent Atom cpus as viable for the iPhone. This certainly makes it appear that Apple don't see it that way. The fact that Apple have bought expertise in cpu design make it appear that they have no intention in adopting Atom for the iPhone/iTouch.
Steve's just being coy as usual... that sly fox.
Well you can spin it any way you want but that reads as a blow to Intel IMO.
Intel make no bones about it. They see Moorestown and subsequent Atom cpus as viable for the iPhone. This certainly makes it appear that Apple don't see it that way. The fact that Apple have bought expertise in cpu design make it appear that they have no intention in adopting Atom for the iPhone/iTouch.
Although it seems unlikely, PA Semi IP may be used to develop next-gen iPads or whatever else Steve has up his sleeve.
Steve's just being coy as usual... that sly fox.
I don't know. That *was* a quarter of a billion dollar investment after all.
It seems to me they are moving in a different direction with respect to handhelds.
Desktop/Laptop/Server---->Intel
iPod/iPhone/iTouch/?------> In house custom ARM chips
Read Dilger's take on this... very insightful...
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/0...e-buy-pa-semi/
Apple is unlikely to give up the economies of scale that Intel gives them for the core processors, but are likely doing this to develop custom supporting chips that give them differentiation that can't be stolen by anyone with an Intel internals manual.