Vratislav Holub Even before the arrival of 5G in iPhones, it was often speculated that Apple was toying with the idea of developing its own modems. There is nothing to be surprised about. The Cupertino giant faced considerable problems in this area, as on the one hand it had to rely on solutions from Intel, which was noticeably behind in the field of mobile modems, while at the same time resolving legal disputes with Qualcomm. It is Qualcomm that leads in this area, and that is why Apple is buying current 5G modems from it.
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Adam Kos Although Apple concluded a so-called peace agreement with Qualcomm in 2019, thanks to which it could purchase their modems, it is still not an ideal option. With this, the giant has also committed to take chips until 2025. It clearly follows from this that these modems will be with us for some time to come. On the other hand, there is another option. If Apple manages to develop a competitive piece, it's quite possible that both variants will work side by side - while one iPhone will hide a modem from one manufacturer, the other from the other.
Apple is on a roll
As mentioned above, there have been several speculations about the development of Apple's 5G modem in the past. Even Ming-Chi Kuo, who is considered one of the most accurate analysts focusing on Apple, confirmed the development. By the end of 2019, however, it was clear to everyone - Apple is going full steam ahead in the development of its own solution. That's when it became clear that the Cupertino giant was buying out Intel's modem division, thereby acquiring more than 17 patents for wireless technologies, around 2200 employees, as well as relevant intellectual and technical equipment. The sell-off initially surprised many people. After all, Intel wasn't really that bad off and had been supplying its modems to iPhones for years, allowing Apple to expand its supply chain and not just depend on Qualcomm.
Qualcomm and Intel
But now Apple has all the necessary resources under its thumb, and all that is left is to complete the operation. There is therefore no doubt that one day we will actually see an Apple 5G modem. For the giant, this will be a fairly fundamental step, thanks to which it will gain further independence, just as it is the case, for example, with the main chips (A-Series, or Apple Silicon for Macs). In addition, these modems are quite key components that practically make a phone a phone. On the other hand, their development is not so simple and probably requires huge investments. Currently, only manufacturers Samsung and Huawei can produce these chips, which says a lot about the whole situation.
Advantages of own 5G modem
However, it would not be far from the end of the mentioned independence. Apple could greatly benefit from its own solution and improve its iPhone in general. It is most often said that the Apple 5G modem will bring better battery life, more reliable 5G connection and faster data transfer. At the same time, it is possible that the company will manage to make the chip even smaller, thanks to which it would also save space inside the phone. In the last place, Apple would then keep its own relatively essential technology, which it could implement in other devices, quite possibly even at a lower price. Theoretically, for example, a MacBook with 5G connectivity is also in the game, but there is no detailed information about this.
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