El Segundo, Calif. – Several key
changes made to the Verizon Wireless version of the iPhone 4 point to updates
that will likely be included in the next-generation iPhone expected to be
unveiled later this year,
said.
In an initial teardown analysis of the Verizon
version, IHS iSuppli found that Apple updated the iPhone 4 antenna design to
improve reception via a dual-antenna antenna-diversity design. Apple
nonetheless kept the iPhone 4’s “fundamental integrated antenna and enclosure
design,” the company said.
The new model might also have eliminated a
discrete GPS chip –previously supplied by Broadcom — to use the integrated
GPS functionality of Qualcomm’s MDM6600 baseband processor, which replaces the
Infineon PMB9801 baseband processor used in the AT&T iPhone 4. “The MDM
chipset from Qualcomm is essentially an entry-level chip and provides savings
for Apple both in terms of device complexity and in the cost of manufacturing,”
IHS iSuppli said.
The company is performing a full teardown
analysis of the device, including a complete bill of materials and hardware
cost assessment.
