The more the months pass, the more intense the rumors of this year’s iPhones become, which is quite normal. So, continuing to bet on the next devices, the (almost) always accurate Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI Securities, released some alleged new information about the devices.
Recalling the endless judicial battle of Apple with the Qualcomm – its main supplier of modems -, which has lasted for many months and accumulates more and more lawsuits against each other, Kuo reformulated his bet on the two companies.
If previously he said Qualcomm would have 70% of Apple’s orders for the next iPhones, now he says the chip maker will have absolutely no orders, making the Intel the only provider of modems to Apple.
The bright side of the news is that Intel’s technology has improved steadily and now meets Apple’s needs, supporting CDMA2000, dual-SIM and dual-standby (DSDS), which makes it ideal for the next devices to be launched.
However, it is worth remembering that the performance of Intel’s chips was put in check and Qualcomm even accused Apple of having reduced the performance of its modems to match Intel’s.
This move could negatively affect Qualcomm, causing it to lose a large share of the market. Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether Apple will look for another supplier, as it always prefers to have other sources for its parts, just in case.
6.1 ″ iPhone as a sales champion
In addition to talking about the interiors of the devices of 2018, Kuo continued his bets stating that, among the three iPhones that are expected to be launched this year, the one that will represent the largest number of sales will be the new one. 6.1 inches.
From the rumors, the possible new line of smartphones from Apple seems confusing, since all three would have the “same” design of the iPhone X, but with different sizes, and the cheapest option – with aluminum frame and LCD screen, instead of OLED – it would not be the smallest, but the intermediate size.
Possibly for the lowest price, the iPhone 6.1 “would have a greater appeal to the general public, causing its sales to exceed those of OLED models, 5.8” and 6.5 “. If that does happen, Kuo says it will positively affect LCD vendors like Japan Display, which may be able to get rid of the worry of having this type of screen cannibalized by OLED screens. The increase in sales will also help aluminum frame manufacturers, says Kuo.
Like all rumors, these are just conjectures. However, we cannot discard them entirely, since much of what the analyst says actually happens. And, certainly, until the devices are presented to us, many bets will still roll.
via AppleInsider: 1, 2
