It’s no secret that Apple strives to try to have as much control as possible of the hardware of its devices.. One of the clearest examples of this premise is the development of its own processors. From the original iPhone to the iPhone 3GS, these smartphones have used Samsung systems-on-chips (SoCs). However, starting with the iPhone 4, everything changed with the introduction of the Apple A4, a solution from the Cupertino company.
Something similar happened with computers. After abandoning IBM’s PowerPC processors, Apple entered into a partnership with Intel that ended in 2020. The apple company had become “self-sufficient”, since with the new Apple Silicon M1 it no longer needed the Santa Clara partner. Now, this strategy, which has worked so well, would not be giving the same results in the modems section, according to well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Apple won’t be able to get rid of Qualcomm so soon
We have known for a long time that Apple wants to develop its own modems for its mobiles and thus stop depending on Qualcomm. Confirmation of this came in 2019, when the apple company itself announced the purchase of a large part of Intel’s modem business for 1,000 million dollars, a master move to execute its ambitious plan that, according to rumors, established that by the second half of 2023, 80% of iPhones should have their own modems.
Nevertheless, Kuo claims that this could not be accomplished at all. Apple, which had been left with a portfolio of 8,500 patents and a workforce of 2,200 employees after its agreement with Intel, It would not have its own 5G modem ready for the next generation of the iPhoneso it would have to keep working hard to arrive in time for the phones that will be presented in 2024. That is, much later than originally planned.
This means that Apple would continue to depend 100% on Qualcomm throughout 2023, which will prevent it from reducing costs, increasing profits and achieving that desired control in this section in the manufacture of the iPhone. But it’s not just about that. According to CNETthe rumors have carried so much weight that the shares of the Cupertino company fell almost 3% after their publication, while those of Qualcomm rose 3%.
It should be noted that this does not mean that Apple is not in a position to develop its own modems. These types of projects usually require a huge amount of work and investment., which translates into a long waiting time. For example, to create their first SoC for computers, those from Cupertino turned all their years of experience creating chips for the iPhone. For now, we can only wait for the arrival of the iPhone 14 to find out if these rumors are true.
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