Just yesterday, Qualcomm drastically upped the ante in its legal case against Apple, accusing the company of stealing source code and giving it to Intel.
In a new interview today, however, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf took a friendly approach to the situation, and said he expects Apple will become a Qualcomm customer again in the future.
It’s believed that this year’s iPhone models exclusively use radio chips from Intel. Apple’s move to ditch Qualcomm completely is, of course, a huge blow to Qualcomm, but Mollenkopf still remains optimistic about the future of the relationship between the two companies.
Speaking to Bloomberg’s Emily Chang, Mollenkopf explained that in these types of situations, the need for advanced technology will often outweigh business relationships and disputes like what’s currently going on between Qualcomm and Apple now.
When asked if he thinks Apple will eventually become a Qualcomm customer again, he said:
Mollenkopf also says that it makes sense for the ‘technology leader in mobile’ to have a close relationship with the ‘product leader in mobile.’
I think there’s probably no better opportunity and partner for Qualcomm than to work with Apple.
One important thing to note is that Apple technically still is a Qualcomm customer as it continues to sell pre-iPhone XS devices, which use Qualcomm chip technology.
Ultimately, Mollenkopf says that Qualcomm has had disputes with licensees over IP pricing in the past, and that the only difference here is the size of the company.
While Mollenkopf seems eager to improve the Qualcomm and Apple’s relationship, things are looking increasingly dire in the ongoing legal battle between the two. Just yesterday, Qualcomm levied new accusations against Apple, saying:
That language from Qualcomm is certainly far different from the approach Mollenkopf took today. As for how this legal battle eventually plays out, we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
