Vratislav Holub For many years, Apple has been working on the development of its own 5G modem, which should replace the Qualcomm solution in Apple phones. This is one of the fundamental goals for the Cupertino giant. Because of this, in 2019 he even bought the entire modem division from Intel, which was a supplier of these components (4G/LTE) for iPhones in the past. Unfortunately, one of the most respected analysts, Ming-Chi Kuo, has now spoken out, according to whom Apple is not doing very well in development.
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Flying around the world with Apple Until relatively recently, there was talk that the first iPhone with its own 5G modem would quite possibly arrive this year, or possibly in 2023. But that is now completely falling apart. Due to problems on the development side, Apple will have to continue to be content with modems from Qualcomm and apparently rely on them at least until the time of the iPhone 15.
Development issues and the importance of custom solutions
Of course, the question is why the giant is actually struggling with the mentioned problems. At first glance, it may not make sense at all. Apple is one of the leaders in the field of modern technology, and at the same time the second most valuable company in the world, according to which it can be concluded that resources are probably not a problem for it. The problem is in the very core of the mentioned component. The development of a mobile 5G modem is apparently extremely demanding and requires extensive efforts, which has been demonstrated in the past, for example, by competitors. For example, such an Intel tried for years to come up with its own component, but in the end it completely failed and sold its entire division to Apple, because it was not in its power to complete the development.
Even Apple itself had Intel behind its back then. Even before the arrival of the first iPhone with 5G, the Cupertino giant relied on two suppliers of mobile modems – Intel and Qualcomm. Unfortunately, the most important problems arose when legal disputes broke out between Apple and Qualcomm over license fees for used patents, which made Apple want to completely cut off its supplier and rely exclusively on Intel. And it was at this point that the giant encountered a number of obstacles. As already mentioned, even Intel could not complete the development of the 5G modem, which led to the settlement of relations with Qualcomm.
iPhone 12 was the first to receive 5G
Why a custom modem is important to Apple
At the same time, it is good to mention why Apple is actually trying to develop its own solution when it can simply rely on components from Qualcomm. Independence and self-sufficiency could be identified as the most fundamental reasons. In that case, the Cupertino giant would not have to rely on anyone else and would simply be self-sufficient, from which it also benefits, for example, in the case of chipsets for iPhones and Macs (Apple Silicon). Since it has direct control over the key components, it can better ensure their interlinking with the rest of the hardware (or their efficiency), enough of the necessary pieces, and at the same time it also reduces costs.
Unfortunately, the current problems clearly show us that developing our own 5G data modems is not entirely easy. As we mentioned above, we will have to wait for the first iPhone with its own component until some Friday. Currently, the closest candidate appears to be the iPhone 16 (2024).
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Adam Kos 
It's surprising enough that what Apple has not been able to do for many years + huge investments, not only Qualcomm, but also many mocked Asian competitors have long ago => isn't there Something VERY WRONG Tim?!