iSuppli Comments on Epcos' Acquisition of NXP RF MEMS Business
Epcos AG's recent acquisition of NXP Semiconductor's Radio-Frequency Microelectromechanical Systems (RF MEMS) business establishes the company as the leader in a technology that promises to expand the capabilities and cut the costs and power consumption of mobile handsets, according to iSuppli Corp. Munich-based Epcos this year said it would take over Netherlands-based NXP's RF MEMS business with the anticipation it will develop into a product line worth nearly 1 billion euros. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Symbian Foundation Means Trouble for Google, Microsoft
According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, the creation of the Symbian Foundation on June 24, 2008, will be good for Nokia but bad news for Google Android and Microsoft. Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, said, "We expect Nokia to use royalty-free Symbian software as a loss-leader to drive profitable growth in handsets and services in 2009. This is a good move for Nokia, because cheaper smartphones for the mass-market will eventually drive higher global volumes of Nokia devices and Ovi content."
iSuppli Reports $173 BOM for Second Generation Apple iPhone
Apple Inc.'s second-generation iPhone is expected to carry an initial hardware Bill Of Materials (BOM) and manufacturing cost of $173, according to a preliminary "virtual teardown" conducted by iSuppli Corp. On Jun. 9, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the release of the much-anticipated new iPhone. The new version will be available starting Jul. 11 in 22 different nations, including the United States.
Yole Publishes Reports on Pico Projectors, Light Engines, TI DLP
Yole Développement, of Lyon, France and Mahwah, NJ, and Chipworks of Ottawa, ON, jointly announce the publication of a series of reports on light engines and pico projector markets, and the Texas Instruments[tm] (TI) new DLP device technology. A second report from Chipworks analyzes the differences between the previous and present generations of DLP devices, highlighting the progress TI has made in wafer level packaging and pixel size.
IMEC Simplifies High-k/Metal Gate Process for 32nm Node
At the VLSI Symposium, IMEC reports an improved performance for its planar CMOS using hafnium-based high-k dielectrics and tantalum-based metal gates for the 32nm CMOS node. The inverter delay advanced from 15ps to 10ps. IMEC also simplified its high-k/metal gate process by decreasing the number of process steps from 15 to 9.
Forward Concepts Unveil Report on Mobile Internet Device, Chip Market
Forward Concepts has announced the publication of a new study that covers the market prospects of the emerging Mobile Internet Device (MID) that serves a gap between high-end smartphones and ultra-portable PCs (UMPCs). In addition to MIDs, the report covers the chips that go in them, both high-end ARM-based application processors and Intel's new competing Atom X86-heritage processor. Cellular-centric chips that enable mobility are also covered in detail. The 206-page study, "Mobile Internet Device (MID) & Chip Market Opportunities" lays out the prospects of this emerging market and forecasts both device and chips through 2012.
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