In early August iDB reported that Intel was looking at buying chip manufacturer Infineon Technologies. Last night the 1.4 billion dollar acquisition was solidified according to 9 to 5 Mac.
Intel CEO, Paul Otellini, said the following regarding the purchase:
The acquisition of Infineon’s WLS (Wireless Solutions) business strengthens the second pillar of our computing strategy–Internet connectivity–and enables us to offer a portfolio of products that covers the full range of wireless options from Wi-Fi and 3G to WiMax and LTE (4G)…
Infineon was responsible for 10.7% of baseband shipments last year, which ranked 4th among the marketplace. Nokia and Samsung are also supplied by Infineon components and according to Intel that relationship won’t be altered.
Apple has had their own aspirations surrounding Intel, specifically the possibility of investing money into the development of their own baseband technology. ARM-based processors are said to be the next line of technology behind the next generation of iPads, and even said to be powering the highly rumored CDMA iPhone.
I can’t say this move surprises me. Intel has dabbled in these waters before and has now secured themselves to be relevant to the future of the smartphone industry for years to come. Do you think this will change the innards of our beloved devices for the better? Give us your thoughts below in the comment box.