Qualcomm seeks collaboration with Apple

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Qualcomm, the leading chipmaker, which has expressed its concerns about its market share in the segment of high-end mobile-handsets on account of rising competition in the field, is holding talks with Apple aimed at collaboration.

Qualcomm is the supplier of mobile-handset chips to Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics (both based in South Korea), and to High Tech Computer (HTC), headquartered in Taiwan.

However, according to market sources, none of the three most popular smartphones – Blackberry, iPhone, and Palm Pre – has adopted the 3G solutions of Qualcomm.

While mobile-handset maker Motorola has a strong partnership with Freescale Semiconductor, major handset makers Nokia and Sony Ericsson, in all probability, are giving priority to ST-Ericsson on their list of chip suppliers, the market sources added.

Apart from this, mobile-handset vendors based in South Korea reportedly have been promoting low-cost smartphones. This means that these South Korea-based vendors opt for chipset solutions that cost less than the rather costly chips made by Qualcomm. This has had an adverse impact on the market share of Qualcomm worldwide.