Apple is reportedly going to keep spending billions of Dollars and millions of work hours on developing in-house cellular modems. This report comes from Bloomberg’s Apple insider Mark Gurman, who says that an Apple cellular modem is unlikely to improve any of the company’s devices.
A cellular modem is the component in a smartphone that lets said phone access the internet via a mobile broadband connection, i.e. what you know of as 3G, 4G, 5G and more. This in-house cellular modem is being developed by the same team that made today’s impressive M-series chips which are used in Macs and iPads.
Current Apple devices use modems supplied by Qualcomm, a practice that Apple has been wanting to move away from since 2018. However, the company has been unable to produce a satisfactory unit since starting development six years ago: often running into problems with performance and heating.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max uses a Qualcomm modem. | Image credit — PhoneArena
But there’s no real benefit to be had with an in-house cellular modem in Apple’s devices according to Gurman. Qualcomm’s modems are brilliant, unmatched by most competing rivals, including Intel.
Gurman argues that one reason for Apple wanting its own modems is so that the company can market its devices as having in-house components. Another reason may be that Apple reportedly plans to develop a unified chip that handles all wireless functions including WiFi and Bluetooth.
If I had to guess, I’d say it was just because Apple feels that it pays Qualcomm too much. The marketing gimmicks and unified chips may follow. But the reason Apple is working so hard for an in-house modem today is so it doesn’t owe Qualcomm anything tomorrow. Something which, as Gurman points out, is unlikely to happen because Qualcomm holds too many patents.
The iPhones are some of the best phones on the market today, and upcoming AI features and improved chips will only make them better. But, who knows, maybe an in-house cellular modem might do Apple a lot of good in the future.
Create a free account and join our vibrant community
Register to enjoy the full PhoneArena experience. Here’s what you get with your PhoneArena account:
Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: