While production of its A13 Bionic chip has gone on trial, Apple is yet to make plans for an in-house 5G modem as reports reveal that the company is still six years away from doing the same.
Sources close to the company have suggested that Apple will produce an in-house 5G modem for an upcoming iPhone but such a modem won’t be made before 2025, says The Information. The development or the lack of it has been reported as a result of the recent six-year deal with Qualcomm after Apple withdrew all the cases against the American chipmaker.
The report sheds some light at how 5G has been looked at from Apple’s perspective and how the company might have felt stuck after Intel announced a delay in its 5G modem release. This could also have been a key factor in pushing Apple to settle with Qualcomm, who will provide the Cupertino company with the necessary chips until 2025.
The latest report also entails how the relationship between Apple and Intel deteriorated since 2017. Inevitably, Apple began to have serious doubts on whether Intel could be their sole supplier.
Just hours after the news of the Apple-Qualcomm settlement broke out, Intel announced that it was quitting the 5G modem business. Intel CEO Bob Swan said “In light of the announcement of Apple and Qualcomm, we assessed the prospects for us to make money while delivering this technology for smartphones and concluded at the time that we just didn’t see a path”.
Meanwhile, Apple’s Chipset supplier TSMC has already started the production of the Apple A13 Bionic chip. The chip will be built on a 7nm+ manufacturing process and will be present in the 2019 lineup of iPhones which will be unveiled during this year’s fall.