Apple Diversifies Chip Orders for iOS Device and Apple Watch Amid Predictions of ARM Macs

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has frequently offered accurate information on Apple’s product plans based on supply chain information, has released a new report outlining his expectations for the company’s chips over the next several years. Kuo highlights a diversified supplier lineup for Apple’s A-series chips used in its iOS devices, with TSMC, Samsung, and GlobalFoundries all contributing to production.

Kuo sees the 2015 chip breakdown with the A9 chip destined for this year’s iPhones being shared by Samsung and GlobalFoundries, while TSMC handles the A9X that would be used in iPad models. That split is projected to flip in 2016, with TSMC handling the A10 iPhone chips and Samsung being responsible for A10X iPad chips.

Perhaps most enticingly, Kuo projects that Apple could begin launching ARM-based Macs in the next year or two based on its custom chip designs.

Apple may launch Mac products that use own AP in next 1-2 years. This prediction is based on the assumption that Apple’s self-developed AP performs at a level between Intel’s Atom and Core i3 and is good enough for Mac. Using self- developed AP can help Apple better control the timing of Mac launches and Mac product features.

Use of A-series chips in Macs would certainly be limited to lower-end devices at first, but Apple’s emphasis on controlling its supply chain and the improving performance of Apple’s A-series ARM chips compared to low-end Intel chips could lead to a shift in the coming years.

Kuo also looks at the Apple Watch, where Samsung has been reported to be handling the primary portion of Apple’s custom “S1″ chip for the upcoming smartwatch. He believes, however, that TSMC will take over responsibility in 2016 for the S2 in the second-generation Apple Watch.

Kuo certainly does not have a perfect track record with his claims over the years, but he is reliable enough that his predictions are followed closely. Given muddled rumors of Apple’s chip partnerships for future devices, it will be interesting to watch how these supplier deals play out over time.

Samsung in Talks to Buy BlackBerry for $7.5 Billion

Samsung has recently been in talks with BlackBerry about a potential takeover, reports Reuters. The South Korean company has reportedly offered to buy BlackBerry for $7.5 billion, in the hopes of acquiring BlackBerry’s extensive patent portfolio. Executives from both companies are said to have met last week in order to discuss the potential deal.

South Korea’s Samsung proposed an initial price range of $13.35 to $15.49 per share, which represents a premium of 38 percent to 60 percent over BlackBerry’s current trading price, the source said.

The offer price would imply an enterprise value of $6 billion to $7.5 billion for BlackBerry, assuming conversion of $1.25 billion of convertible debt, according to the documents.

BlackBerry has struggled with flagging sales in recent years, and in 2013, the company received a takeover bid worth $4.7 billion from Fairfax Financial, but the deal ultimately fell apart. BlackBerry went on to receive interest from both Apple and Microsoft, among others, but was uninterested in breaking up the company to sell it piecemeal.

Ultimately, the company accepted investments and aimed to re-establish itself in the smartphone market, which led to the launch of the Passport, a large square-shaped phone, and the Classic, a throwback to original BlackBerry designs.

BlackBerry holds quite a few valuable patents, which are estimated to be worth $1 billion to $3 billion. In 2012 alone, its patent portfolio grew by 986 patents, many of which are relevant to competing smartphone companies like Samsung.

Wireless Charging Looks to Go Mainstream in 2015

As the largest consumer electronics show in the world, CES often gives us a hint of the technologies we can look forward to in the near future, based on the products that are shown off at the show. In 2013 and 2014, there was a heavy focus on wearables, and this year’s emphasis on home automation suggests 2015 will be a big year for connected home products.

There’s one other important emerging technology that we may see explode over the course of the next few years — wireless charging. Several companies, including Energous and WiTricity, demoed upcoming wireless charging solutions, and the Alliance for Wireless Power had a booth showing off how wireless charging will work in the Home of the Future.

MacRumors had a chance to sit down with Alex Gruzen, the CEO of WiTricity, who walked us through the company’s technology, its existing partnerships, and gave us details on when we might see the debut of the first products using WiTricity’s technology, which uses the Rezence specification agreed upon by the Alliance for Wireless Power. WiTricity’s wireless charging solutions, which we have covered multiple times in the past, works using magnetic resonance, which is able to transfer power over distances using the magnetic near-field.

In the past, wireless charging solutions like the Powermat (which uses a competing technology from the Power Matters Alliance) have required the electronic device being charged to rest directly on the power source, but WiTricity’s wireless charging technology is unique because it does not require direct contact. The magnetic field used for charging is able to wrap around barriers, letting WiTricity charging pads be placed in unassuming locations like under desks, rugs, tables, and more.

In our time at the WiTricity booth, we saw charging pads that were placed under concrete, under desks, and more, hidden out of sight but still capable of delivering a full charge to a device (or multiple devices at once) equipped with WiTricity’s technology. This type of hidden charging technology is what we can expect in the future, and Energous, previously mentioned, also debuted a similar “WattUp” technology that uses radio frequencies to charge devices, replacing a charging pad with a transmitter that can provide power up to 15 feet away. Read more