[NewsPoster]

Apple supplier Broadcom is forecasting 20 percent sequential growth in its wireless division over the next quarter. Without calling out Apple specifically, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan said that this could be put down almost entirely to a "North American company," which is ramping up orders for parts for its next-generation smartphone -- the Broadcom parts in question are wireless baseband chips. The jump in growth is said to be in line with previous quarters, suggesting that Apple is expecting the typical surge in demand that normally comes with the annual launch of its latest flagship iPhone.


"It's largely the certain North American company that's driving the bulk of the growth," Hock Tan said at its conference call on Thursday. "It's the beginning of the ramp for their next-generation phone." Following Broadcom's announcement, its shares quickly jumped 7.7 percent, before settling at a steady $154.91.

Apple is expected to release a revamped "iPhone 7" in September this year, however, both its upstream and downstream suppliers are already ramping up their operations as it looks to build up inventory ahead of its launch. After reporting its first ever year-over-year decline in sales for its fiscal Q2 March quarter, Apple investors are on the lookout for signs of a bounce in iPhone sales. Broadcom's financial forecast is in line with expectations from some analysts that Apple will set new sales records with the launch of the iPhone 7, thanks in part to a record pool of potential upgraders.

What remains to be seen, however, is whether Apple will be able to keep sales momentum for its next iPhone strong through the traditionally slower March quarter in 2017.

[Inkling]

It'd be great if Broadcom and Apple would enable the FM radio portion of Broadcom chips in the iPhone 7. That would add a new feature and be a major plus for users. If a major quake hits California, it could take down cellular systems but leave at least some FM radio stations on the air for disaster reports.