ARM CEO: iPhone to make ‘huge difference’ in smartphone market

Warren East, CEO of mobile-processor outfit ARM, has said that he welcomes the iPhone, and believes it will make a “huge difference” in the smartphone market. When asked about the smartphone becoming a mainstream device, East responded, “I think we’re a couple of years away, probably, but as I said, I think the iPhone is going to make a huge difference.” While East coyly replied to questions as to whether the iPhone contains a chip based on one of ARM’s designs, he did give the device praise. “Well, frankly, I think the other players are all a bit sort of… They needed somebody like Apple to come along and shake them up a bit. I mean, Nokias are pretty good (pulls out his N95 smart phone), but this N95 is probably, in some ways, just a little bit shy of an iPhone.” He also gave Apple credit for sparking innovation in the market, stating, “I think it’s that sort of second-order effect that we’ll see in the smart-phone space with the iPhone; it’s actually stimulating lots of other people to go and bring out their own devices.”