As you know, Apple uses cellular modems developed by Qualcomm in its own devices, especially iPhones. However, we know that the company has been working on its own modem for more than five years. So much so that it was claimed that this chip would be available in 2025. Latest reports show that these plans will take much longer than anticipated.Apple’s 5G modem is 3 years behind its rival
For those who don’t know, today Apple mostly undertakes its own processor design, which is an important factor in external dependency. 5G modem studies, which have been ongoing for a while, have led to the hiring of thousands of engineers. At this point, Apple, which is targeting autumn 2023, purchased the majority of Intel’s modem business and made many transfers from its rival Qualcomm. However, these plans were constantly postponed.
Today, a new report from the Wall Street Journal revealed important details about Apple’s 5G modem. “It quickly became clear that it was impossible to achieve the goal,” former company engineers and executives familiar with the project told the WSJ, and the delay was entirely due to Apple’s “technical difficulties, poor communication, and the wisdom of executives to design the chips rather than buy them.” It is said that the project has slowed down significantly due to this.
Additionally, prototype tests of the 5G modem did not go well, according to people who spoke to WSJ. Accordingly, the chip was too slow and prone to overheating. The circuit board was large enough to take up half of an iPhone, making it unusable. In addition, it is stated that this modem is “three years behind Qualcomm’s best modem chip.” Therefore, we can say that Apple’s work will continue for a while.
On the other hand, Apple is not rushing for now and has a long-term partnership with Qualcomm. In order not to take risks, sources expect the company to use its new modem in at least one iPhone model or 5G iPad model next year. The widespread use of the modem may be postponed until the end of 2025 and 2026.
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