Apple has been trying to build a dedicated 5G modem for the iPhone for years, but all of its projects have so far been unsuccessful. This company is now using modems made by Qualcomm in the iPhone.
Mark GermanBloomberg whistleblower, at A special report It says that Apple was looking to use a dedicated modem in 2025, but a series of obstacles will prevent it from reaching this schedule and the iPhone’s dedicated modem will be produced later.
In 2019, Apple acquired Intel’s modem business by paying $1 billion to start making proprietary modems and reduce dependence on foreign companies such as Qualcomm. By signing that contract, Apple gained access to more than 17,000 patents, and more than 2,200 Intel employees were transferred to the MacBook maker.
Despite many efforts and heavy investment, Apple has not yet been able to create a modem that can match Qualcomm’s modems in terms of performance and energy consumption.
Apple initially wanted to have a dedicated 5G modem ready by 2024, but quickly realized that making the modem was harder than expected and such a goal was not achievable. The company then chose 2025 as its next target, but now Bloomberg says that Apple’s modem won’t arrive in 2025 either.
Citing informed sources, Bloomberg writes that the 5G modem development project has been a “boring journey” for Apple engineers and executives. Prototypes of Apple modems get very hot and do not perform optimally.
A day before the unveiling of the iPhone 15, Qualcomm announced that it has signed a new contract with Apple and will supply exclusive modems to the company “at least until 2026”. In this way, Apple has three years to make itself unnecessary from Qualcomm by making an optimal modem; Otherwise, it will be forced to renew the Qualcomm contract.
