There’s a reason why Apple shells out mountains of money for 5G modem technology used in iPhones. Smartphones are nothing without network connections, and building reliable modems to make those connections is hard.
That’s why it’s no surprise that Apple remains two years away from shipping its own custom 5G modem and splitting up with modem supplier Qualcomm.
Top comment by Johnny Cash
It took years of trial and error for Apple to figure out the A then M series of chips, so this isn't shocking. Companies like Qualcomm have been at it for decades, so the notion Apple could crank out something even barely equivalent in less than 10 years is laughable at best.
Frankly I wish Apple wasn't in such a rush to move everything in house, as this isn't always for the better. Music SQ for example has been dog splat since Apple dropped PortalPlayer for their own in house DSP. Kind of hilarious/tragic that the same audio file sounds noticeably better on my 18 year old Gen 1 Shuffle than my 8 month old iPhone 14.
Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reaffirmed the two-year target in a research note discussing Qualcomm. Will 2025 actually be the year of the Apple 5G modem? If so, the iPhone 17 (or whichever iPhone goes first) will be defined by the change – for better or worse.
As a brief recap, Apple bought Intel’s modem business for $1 billion in 2019 after Intel failed at becoming a viable competitor to Qualcomm. Apple even shipped iPhones with Intel modems inside (and people weren’t happy).
As a side note, Nokia is also a beneficiary of Apple’s modem endeavors.
Fortunately for everyone involved, Apple settled its mega legal battle with Qualcomm and iPhone modems remained good. There wasn’t really a choice, however, which is why Apple will switch to its own modem in two years. Two years from when, though, is the question.
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