It appears Irvine-based Broadcom Corp. is primed to supply a key component for the long-awaited Apple Watch.
Teardown specialist Chipworks Inc. recently indicated that the Wi-Fi chip layout in the prototype wearable device from Cupertino-based Apple Inc. matches a Broadcom combo chip that’s found in iPhones, as well as smartphones by Samsung, HTC and Huawei.
Ottawa, Ontario-based Chipworks analyzes more than 300 phones and tablets annually. It used video screen captures from a Sept. 9 introduction to identify components of the Apple Watch, which is expected to be available at retailers early next year.
Some Broadcom watchers have already been bullish on the chipmaker’s prospects of landing a spot in the supply chain for the Apple Watch, considering a long relationship between the companies that was recently extended to the latest iPhone models, (see related item in Technology column on page 65).
“Broadcom really has put all the pieces of the portfolio together that you need for a really strong wearables offering,” said Christopher Rolland, an analyst in the New York office of Arlington, Va.-based FBR & Co. “They make the best, most integrated combo chips out there.”
