Huawei CEO is 'open' to selling 5G chip to 'great company' Apple

Posted:
in General Discussion
Huawei's CEO Ren Zhengfei has said that his company is open to selling 5G modems to Apple, a company that he praises for its mobile legacy and maintaining quality products for decades.

Huawei
Huawei "open" to future iPhones using its 5G modem


After a rumor claimed that Huawei was interested in Apple as a sole client for its 5G modem, in a new interview with CNBC, Zhengfei said that he would consider changing the company's previously open stance in regards to modem sales to any takers. "We are open to Apple in this regard," he said (translated from Mandarin by CNBC).

Zhengfei said nothing else about possible deals, but did take the opportunity to praise Apple and its own founder.

"I think Mr Jobs was a great man, not because he created Apple, but because he created an era, the mobile internet era." said Zhengfei. "Saying that he was great is an understatement. I think he was super-great."

"Apple is also a great company," he continued. "It is great in that it has always pushed to make the market bigger, not smaller. Apple sells at high prices and maintains high quality. It has grown the market, enabling many other companies to survive."

This willingness to sell 5G chips to Apple has recently been rumored before but this is the first time that the company has confirmed it publicly.

Ren Zhengfei speaking on CNBC
Ren Zhengfei speaking on CNBC


Zhengfei also contrasted Apple's approach of selling at high prices to his own company's idea.

"We actually made some missteps, we set prices based on our costs, which were relatively low. We have reflected on this a lot," Zhengfei claimed. "With higher prices, we have started earning more but we will not distribute this extra money to employees or shareholders, instead we will use it to fund universities and scientists. This way, we will be able to make world-leading products."

Apple has not commented on any possible deal with Huawei, but it is unlikely to buy from them while the US has imposed a purchasing ban on its products for federal agencies. Huawei has also been accused of cloning Apple parts and attempting to learn of future products from ex-Apple employees.

Qualcomm has similarly expressed an interest in providing 5G chips to Apple for future iPhones -- "they have our phone number," said Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon. Both Qualcomm and Huawei's comments come after reports that Apple has been struggling to source a 5G modem from Intel.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 101
    seanismorrisseanismorris Posts: 1,624member
    Surprising honesty...

    "We actually made some missteps, we set prices based on our costs, which were relatively low. We have reflected on this a lot," Zhengfei claimed. "With higher prices, we have started earning more but we will not distribute this extra money to employees or shareholders, instead we will use it to fund universities and scientists. This way, we will be able to make world-leading products."
    GeorgeBMacanantksundaram
  • Reply 2 of 101
    As long as the Feds have a espionage warning on Huawei, Apple ain't  gonna put Huawei chips in their products. Any attempt will just make the spooks more suspicious.
    larryjwllamajbdragonstevenozDAalsethwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 101
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    Surprising honesty...

    "We actually made some missteps, we set prices based on our costs, which were relatively low. We have reflected on this a lot," Zhengfei claimed. "With higher prices, we have started earning more but we will not distribute this extra money to employees or shareholders, instead we will use it to fund universities and scientists. This way, we will be able to make world-leading products."
    Yes, it's also well known that part of their success has been due to plowing profits back into the company and R&D instead of throwing it away as dividends and stock buybacks.


    muthuk_vanalingamn2itivguypratikindia
  • Reply 4 of 101
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    Hopefully Apple has the courage to face down Trump on this and take them up on their offer.  The alternative is to wait (and WAIT) on Intel....

    There is hope -- rumor has it that Trump is giving up on his China offensive.
  • Reply 5 of 101
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    As long as the Feds have a espionage warning on Huawei, Apple ain't  gonna put Huawei chips in their products. Any attempt will just make the spooks more suspicious.
    The "Feds" don't.   Trump does.  But his propaganda machine could scare people off.
  • Reply 6 of 101
    JWSCJWSC Posts: 1,203member
    Surprising honesty...

    "We actually made some missteps, we set prices based on our costs, which were relatively low. We have reflected on this a lot," Zhengfei claimed. "With higher prices, we have started earning more but we will not distribute this extra money to employees or shareholders, instead we will use it to fund universities and scientists. This way, we will be able to make world-leading products."
    Yes, it's also well known that part of their success has been due to plowing profits back into the company and R&D instead of throwing it away as dividends and stock buybacks.


    OMG, not this old wives tale again!  Stock buybacks are not throwing the money away.  This is simple math.  Come on!
    tmaySoliflyingdpbluefire1aaron sorensontipoowatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 101
    I would hesitate to not buy an Apple product with a Huawei chip. Period.

    I'll wait for the version without it.
    tmayaaron sorensonpratikindiawatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 101

    As long as the Feds have a espionage warning on Huawei, Apple ain't  gonna put Huawei chips in their products. Any attempt will just make the spooks more suspicious.
    The "Feds" don't.   Trump does.  But his propaganda machine could scare people off.
    The "Feds" and the Congress sure do. Going back to at least 2011-12. 

    I am not going to bother with giving you any links, since I have little doubt that you know how to do an internet search.
    edited April 2019 bigtdsMplsPpratikindiaStrangeDays
  • Reply 9 of 101
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,667member

    As long as the Feds have a espionage warning on Huawei, Apple ain't  gonna put Huawei chips in their products. Any attempt will just make the spooks more suspicious.
    The "Feds" don't.   Trump does.  But his propaganda machine could scare people off.
    The "Feds" and the Congress sure do. Going back to at least 2011-12. 

    I am not going to bother with giving you any links, since I have little doubt that you know how to do an internet search.
    And all these years later they still have nothing. Off the record they are even admitting as much. 

    It has been said time and time again, anyone involved in spying doesn't care which hardware is being run.

    If anything, Huawei's products are likely to be more secure as, not only are they scrutinised more but when issues are found, solutions are demanded of them.

    Apple would have more to gain than lose, not least in time to market.
    muthuk_vanalingamGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 10 of 101
    avon b7 said:

    As long as the Feds have a espionage warning on Huawei, Apple ain't  gonna put Huawei chips in their products. Any attempt will just make the spooks more suspicious.
    The "Feds" don't.   Trump does.  But his propaganda machine could scare people off.
    The "Feds" and the Congress sure do. Going back to at least 2011-12. 

    I am not going to bother with giving you any links, since I have little doubt that you know how to do an internet search.
    And all these years later they still have nothing. Off the record they are even admitting as much. 

    It has been said time and time again, anyone involved in spying doesn't care which hardware is being run.

    If anything, Huawei's products are likely to be more secure as, not only are they scrutinised more but when issues are found, solutions are demanded of them.

    Apple would have more to gain than lose, not least in time to market.
    Groan, you Huawei apologists are back out in force again.

    1) Please send a link on who's admitting what "off the record." Otherwise, delete the post.

    2) "They have nothing"? We'll see when Meng Wanzhou shows up in a US court. (Canada's formally started the extradition proceedings, as you likely know). Until then, I'd advise you to hold spouting off.
    tmayaaron sorensonStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 101
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,311member
    Surprising honesty...

    "We actually made some missteps, we set prices based on our costs, which were relatively low. We have reflected on this a lot," Zhengfei claimed. "With higher prices, we have started earning more but we will not distribute this extra money to employees or shareholders, instead we will use it to fund universities and scientists. This way, we will be able to make world-leading products."
    Yes, it's also well known that part of their success has been due to plowing profits back into the company and R&D instead of throwing it away as dividends and stock buybacks.


    There R&D has been to copy APPLE!!!! They've been doing it for years. Flat out copying. You don't have to spend a lot on R&D that way. Then again China is all about outright theft of everything.
    anantksundaramtmayflyingdpStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 101
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,667member
    avon b7 said:

    As long as the Feds have a espionage warning on Huawei, Apple ain't  gonna put Huawei chips in their products. Any attempt will just make the spooks more suspicious.
    The "Feds" don't.   Trump does.  But his propaganda machine could scare people off.
    The "Feds" and the Congress sure do. Going back to at least 2011-12. 

    I am not going to bother with giving you any links, since I have little doubt that you know how to do an internet search.
    And all these years later they still have nothing. Off the record they are even admitting as much. 

    It has been said time and time again, anyone involved in spying doesn't care which hardware is being run.

    If anything, Huawei's products are likely to be more secure as, not only are they scrutinised more but when issues are found, solutions are demanded of them.

    Apple would have more to gain than lose, not least in time to market.
    Groan, you Huawei apologists are back out in force again.

    1) Please send a link on who's admitting what "off the record." Otherwise, delete the post.

    2) "They have nothing"? We'll see when Meng Wanzhou shows up in a US court. (Canada's formally started the extradition proceedings, as you likely know). Until then, I'd advise you to hold spouting off.
    Your link:

    https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-fi-tn-huawei-5g-trade-war/

    "They have yet to provide hard evidence and, privately, these officials admit they don’t have any. Instead, they frequently fall back on a 2012 House Intelligence Committee report."

    Sound familiar? Same old story. Yes. 'Groan'
    1STnTENDERBITSGeorgeBMacrbc-4muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 13 of 101
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,727member
    Surprising honesty...

    "We actually made some missteps, we set prices based on our costs, which were relatively low. We have reflected on this a lot," Zhengfei claimed. "With higher prices, we have started earning more but we will not distribute this extra money to employees or shareholders, instead we will use it to fund universities and scientists. This way, we will be able to make world-leading products."
    Yes, it's also well known that part of their success has been due to plowing profits back into the company and R&D instead of throwing it away as dividends and stock buybacks.


    It's great Apple can do all of the above though ... eh?  ;)
  • Reply 14 of 101
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,727member

    As long as the Feds have a espionage warning on Huawei, Apple ain't  gonna put Huawei chips in their products. Any attempt will just make the spooks more suspicious.
    The "Feds" don't.   Trump does.  But his propaganda machine could scare people off.
    The "Feds" and the Congress sure do. Going back to at least 2011-12. 

    I am not going to bother with giving you any links, since I have little doubt that you know how to do an internet search.
    Congress seems unable to do anything, well the House, at any rate, they are simply ignored.
  • Reply 15 of 101
    JWSCJWSC Posts: 1,203member
    avon b7 said:

    As long as the Feds have a espionage warning on Huawei, Apple ain't  gonna put Huawei chips in their products. Any attempt will just make the spooks more suspicious.
    The "Feds" don't.   Trump does.  But his propaganda machine could scare people off.
    The "Feds" and the Congress sure do. Going back to at least 2011-12. 

    I am not going to bother with giving you any links, since I have little doubt that you know how to do an internet search.
    And all these years later they still have nothing. Off the record they are even admitting as much. 

    It has been said time and time again, anyone involved in spying doesn't care which hardware is being run.

    If anything, Huawei's products are likely to be more secure as, not only are they scrutinised more but when issues are found, solutions are demanded of them.

    Apple would have more to gain than lose, not least in time to market.
    Groan, you Huawei apologists are back out in force again.

    1) Please send a link on who's admitting what "off the record." Otherwise, delete the post.

    2) "They have nothing"? We'll see when Meng Wanzhou shows up in a US court. (Canada's formally started the extradition proceedings, as you likely know). Until then, I'd advise you to hold spouting off.

    While I won’t go so far as to claim that Huawei is all sunshine and roses, no one who has accused them of being a willing vassal of the Chinese spy agencies has produced a smoking gun - actual hardware designed to surreptitiously spy on a user.  And people have been looking.

    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 16 of 101
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    JWSC said:
    Surprising honesty...

    "We actually made some missteps, we set prices based on our costs, which were relatively low. We have reflected on this a lot," Zhengfei claimed. "With higher prices, we have started earning more but we will not distribute this extra money to employees or shareholders, instead we will use it to fund universities and scientists. This way, we will be able to make world-leading products."
    Yes, it's also well known that part of their success has been due to plowing profits back into the company and R&D instead of throwing it away as dividends and stock buybacks.


    OMG, not this old wives tale again!  Stock buybacks are not throwing the money away.  This is simple math.  Come on!
    LOL...  Obviously those wives were smarter than we thought.   So how does giving away money to stock holders help the company innovate and stay current?

    Because it benefits YOU doesn't mean it helps the company compete in anything except the stock market.
    avon b7
  • Reply 17 of 101
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member

    As long as the Feds have a espionage warning on Huawei, Apple ain't  gonna put Huawei chips in their products. Any attempt will just make the spooks more suspicious.
    The "Feds" don't.   Trump does.  But his propaganda machine could scare people off.
    The "Feds" and the Congress sure do. Going back to at least 2011-12. 

    I am not going to bother with giving you any links, since I have little doubt that you know how to do an internet search.
    8 years ago somebody had said there might, maybe, possibly be an issue that has since been debunked by most of the world?   At best it makes for political talking points for a nationalist.
    avon b7
  • Reply 18 of 101
    avon b7 said:
    avon b7 said:

    As long as the Feds have a espionage warning on Huawei, Apple ain't  gonna put Huawei chips in their products. Any attempt will just make the spooks more suspicious.
    The "Feds" don't.   Trump does.  But his propaganda machine could scare people off.
    The "Feds" and the Congress sure do. Going back to at least 2011-12. 

    I am not going to bother with giving you any links, since I have little doubt that you know how to do an internet search.
    And all these years later they still have nothing. Off the record they are even admitting as much. 

    It has been said time and time again, anyone involved in spying doesn't care which hardware is being run.

    If anything, Huawei's products are likely to be more secure as, not only are they scrutinised more but when issues are found, solutions are demanded of them.

    Apple would have more to gain than lose, not least in time to market.
    Groan, you Huawei apologists are back out in force again.

    1) Please send a link on who's admitting what "off the record." Otherwise, delete the post.

    2) "They have nothing"? We'll see when Meng Wanzhou shows up in a US court. (Canada's formally started the extradition proceedings, as you likely know). Until then, I'd advise you to hold spouting off.
    Your link:

    https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-fi-tn-huawei-5g-trade-war/

    "They have yet to provide hard evidence and, privately, these officials admit they don’t have any. Instead, they frequently fall back on a 2012 House Intelligence Committee report."

    Sound familiar? Same old story. Yes. 'Groan'
    Aw man.  You missed a good opportunity.  You should have told him: "I am not going to bother with giving you any links, since I have little doubt that you know how to do an internet search." :D  The irony was too rich.  Good link though.
  • Reply 19 of 101
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    avon b7 said:

    As long as the Feds have a espionage warning on Huawei, Apple ain't  gonna put Huawei chips in their products. Any attempt will just make the spooks more suspicious.
    The "Feds" don't.   Trump does.  But his propaganda machine could scare people off.
    The "Feds" and the Congress sure do. Going back to at least 2011-12. 

    I am not going to bother with giving you any links, since I have little doubt that you know how to do an internet search.
    And all these years later they still have nothing. Off the record they are even admitting as much. 

    It has been said time and time again, anyone involved in spying doesn't care which hardware is being run.

    If anything, Huawei's products are likely to be more secure as, not only are they scrutinised more but when issues are found, solutions are demanded of them.

    Apple would have more to gain than lose, not least in time to market.
    Groan, you Huawei apologists are back out in force again.

    1) Please send a link on who's admitting what "off the record." Otherwise, delete the post.

    2) "They have nothing"? We'll see when Meng Wanzhou shows up in a US court. (Canada's formally started the extradition proceedings, as you likely know). Until then, I'd advise you to hold spouting off.
    Groan.... you Trump apologists are back out in force again...

    1)  Please send a link to his evidence.  Otherwise delete the post.
    2)  Unrelated issue -- but I doubt Trump will have the guts to make her a political prisoner.   They would shut him down in a heart beat.
    rbc-4
  • Reply 20 of 101
    rwx9901rwx9901 Posts: 100member
    if there is any doubt whatsoever in having the chinese exploit privacy it's just not worth the risk to Apple.
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