Qualcomm’s 5G modems will continue to be used in Apple’s iPhones until March 2027, but that does not mean that the California-based giant will halt development, though there were whispers that the company had abandoned the project due to incessant problems that could not be overcome. As Apple continues its work on its custom solution, a report states that its employees have admitted that customers do not care which 5G modem is found in which iPhone, but there could be other reasons why the firm is so adamant in mass producing this chip.
Thousands of engineers have invested millions of hours in Apple’s in-house 5G modem development, with the company pouring in billions for a baseband chip that will do little to improve the user experience. In Mark Gurman’s latest ‘Power On’ newsletter, employees admitted that the decision to make a custom solution will not have a positive impact on iPhone sales, as customers do not care what is running in these devices.
Instead, Apple could use the launch as a marketing tactic, eventually revealing to the audience that it produces the most ‘important’ iPhone components in-house. However, there are deeper reasons as to why Apple continues to tread down this path, with one of them being the ludicrous sums of money it pays to Qualcomm. The biggest downside to partnering with the chipset manufacturer is that there is no other 5G modem supplier for Apple, so Qualcomm can raise its price at will, putting more financial burden on the iPhone maker.
Another reason can be that Qualcomm only supplies Apple with a 5G modem that is a standalone part of iPhones, and it needs to be kept separate from the SoC. The trillion-dollar entity’s ‘end-game’ goal could be to combine the chipset, 5G modem, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth adapter in a single package, freeing up valuable and leading to a more
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