Samsung manufactures that A4 iPhone core chip and the Galaxy's Cortex-A8 is its brother. If anything, the A4 is a stripped-down version of Samsung's S5 [1]. Samsung again gets to learn and implement tech improvements (this time from Apple) at little or no cost.
So let me get this straight. Samsung designs the S5, essentially assuming the bulk of the risk bringing the design to market, both for themselves and their clients (Apple). Apple licenses the design and then finds out that Samsung has been using these clever guys at Intrinsity to juice the Cortex-A8 in the design. Apple buys Intrinsity lock-stock-and-barrel, denying Samsung said cleverness for upcoming Cortex-A9 designs. And of course it's quite likely at this point that they'll be losing their biggest external customer for future SoCs (Apple).
And this is something other than a disaster for Samsung? Honestly, they've been completely outmaneuvered.
Some sources say that Apple paid for the initial design of the A4 and Samsung also became interested, splitting the cost. [1]
They are still getting paid by Apple to manufacture Intrinsity's chips, and Apple is clearly worried that Samsung has been learning from that. [2]
Apple's acquisition of Intrinsity was expensive, and the rumor is that they will keep the design to themselves, not making any money off of licensing. [1]
Samsung's choice of chips for the Galaxy S II blow away the competition with performance, losing the Intrinsity design is clearly not a problem. [3]
Again, Apple is taking the expensive route with anti-competitive practices, whereas Samsung is learning from others and using its flexibility to overcome obstacles at lower cost.
They are still getting paid by Apple to manufacture Intrinsity's chips, and Apple is clearly worried that Samsung has been learning from that. [2]
Apple's acquisition of Intrinsity was expensive, and the rumor is that they will keep the design to themselves, not making any money off of licensing. [1]
Sorry - I'm kind of chuckling to myself at how hard you're trying to think of this as a good thing for Samsung. Either Apple keeps the technology to themselves or they license it to others and risk others learning from it. This much you seem to understand - but you don't seem to acknowledge that these are the only two choices! Let's put it another way - either Samsung has to pay Apple lots of money to make a SoC to match the iPhone 5's performance, or they lag behind in the benchmarks race.
Samsung's choice of chips for the Galaxy S II blow away the competition with performance, losing the Intrinsity design is clearly not a problem. [3]
Jesus man - you sound like the Iraqi minister of information.
It wasn't Samsung that made the Hummingbird what it was - it was Intrinsity. It was Intrinsity's design innovation that set Samsung and Apple so far above their Cortex-A8 contemporaries. And now they don't have that. The S II has a fast chip in it. Faster than what Apple will have soon? No one knows, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Again, Apple is taking the expensive route with anti-competitive practices, whereas Samsung is learning from others and using its flexibility to overcome obstacles at lower cost.
The unfortunate truth is that all of the lawsuits that are being thrown around in mobile right now are dirt-cheap compared to the cost of building a new SoC. They're also dirt-cheap compared to income on those chips and handsets that the big players enjoy.
So let me get this straight. Samsung designs the S5, essentially assuming the bulk of the risk bringing the design to market, both for themselves and their clients (Apple). Apple licenses the design and then finds out that Samsung has been using these clever guys at Intrinsity to juice the Cortex-A8 in the design. Apple buys Intrinsity lock-stock-and-barrel, denying Samsung said cleverness for upcoming Cortex-A9 designs. And of course it's quite likely at this point that they'll be losing their biggest external customer for future SoCs (Apple).
And this is something other than a disaster for Samsung? Honestly, they've been completely outmaneuvered.