Wolfson Microelectronics has won the audio slots for future iPhones and iPads, according to the Economic Daily News of Taiwan, which means that Cirrus Logic has lost its design-ins.
It is also reported that, in the iPhone 5 and iPad 2, Marvell will supply the WiFi, Broadcom the touch screen controller, Samsung the applications processor, TI the power management, CSR the Bluetooth, National/Infineon the video display interface IC, and Intel the flash.
It has been rumoured for about a year that Qualcomm will provide the baseband in succession to Infineon’s wireless unit (now owned by Intel).
Cirrus and Wolfson have been fighting for audio slots for a decade or more. So fierce is the battle that, a few days before Wolfson IPO’s back in 2003, Cirrus announced an IP lawsuit against Wolfson.
Investors saw the lawsuit as an obvious spoiler and it had no effect on the offer’s success. If today’s stories are true that Wolfson has ousted Cirrus from the Apple slots, it will be sweet revenge.