In statement to Bloomberg, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs confirms that there is ongoing interest to become a chip supplier for Apple's iPhone.
The remarks were made during a television interview in Hong Kong earlier today, and continue to paint the picture of an eventual marriage between Apple and the San Diego-based cell phone chip maker.
Jacob's words leave the door open for a deal. He says, "“We continue to discuss it, but haven’t made it yet ... Hopefully, in the future, we will have the opportunity."
For a little background on why the deal would be a huge win for Qualcomm, Bloomberg writes:
"Qualcomm seeks to join suppliers including Toshiba Corp. and Infineon Technologies AG to win chip orders for the iPhone, one of the two top-selling smart phones in the U.S. in the second-quarter, according to researcher NPD Group Inc. The San Diego-based company already sells semiconductors for handsets that use Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile technology, and Google Inc.’s Android software, Jacobs said."
The iPhone and Research in Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry Curve were the best-selling smart phones in the U.S. in the second- quarter, NPD Group said in August.
While it's still speculation, the strong statement from the CEO is definitely an interesting tidbit worth paying attention to. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if Qualcomm was able to make the deal happen in time for the next big iPhone release.