Semiconductor major Broadcom has released a brand new chip intended for use in cellphones. Now, Broadcom releasing a chip is usual news. The thing that makes this chip interesting is the fact that it integrates almost all connectivity options you can think of – in to one single die. We are talking about Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi and FM Radio all crammed into one single chip. Until now, there were multitudes of chips handling all these functionalities. This meant requirement of extra space for placing these chips on to the system board. This was believed to be one reason why Apple shied away from using NFC on its iPhone. That however could change with the next generation iPhone.
This new Broadcom chip which is expected to make its debut in early 2013 would be shown off at next year’s CES. Broadcom asserts that by integrating most connectivity functionalities on to one chip, it would also help companies save money and reduce the overall price of the chip. This would be an added attraction for phone makers.
It is unclear at this moment if Apple will be using this one on its next generation iPhone – but word is that the company was on the lookout of such a space saving solution. With NFC based applications and transactions expected to take off in the next few years, the time is right for Apple to embark on this route and offer the functionality on its next iPhone model. John Devlin, an analyst at market researcher ABI, said, “We predict that over three and a half billion NFC-enabled devices will ship over the next five years, opening up huge market opportunities for companies like Broadcom. As a leader in wireless combination technology and with strong existing OEM relationships, Broadcom is well positioned to capitalize on this growth in smartphones and other consumer electronic devices.”
With rumour mills already going high about the possibility of the iPhone 5S (or whatever Apple chooses to call the next gen iPhone) sporting NFC, there is high chance that Apple would be using a similar (if not the same) chip on that phone.
