MP3 player chip maker PortalPlayer will see one of its media processors integrated into Apple's much-rumoured iPhone, a US analyst has claimed. And since PortalPlayer should soon be a Nvidia subsidiary, the deal, if true, is good news for the graphics chip company too.

Actually, doubly so since, according to Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co analyst Chris Caso, cited [1] by EETimes, one of Nvidia's mobile GPUs has found its way into the upcoming video-centric iPod about which there has been almost as much online speculation as the iPhone. The Nvidia deal was first suggested back in July this year [2].

Caso said he expects the iPhone - one to two mobile phone products Apple is said to be developing - to be announced late Q1 2007, which lengthens the odds on a January Macworld Expo introduction [3].

The video-centric iPod will not contain a PortalPlayer chip but one from Samsung, wrote Caso, a claim consistent with past comments from both Samsung [4] and from Portal player [5].

Caso maintained Nvidia pitched Apple with a future GPU with integrated media processing facilities, a move that may have led to the decision to buy PortalPlayer. ®

Links

1. http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=1U1TSATPHSQ1QQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=195300035
2. http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07/19/ipods_to_get_3d/
3. http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/15/apple_iphone_contract_claim/
4. http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/04/27/samsung_ipod_win/
5. http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/04/20/portalplayer_loses_flash_ipod_deal/

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