After bringing processor development in - house with the arrival of its Arm - based M1 flake , Apple has now taken the next coherent step by begin the development of custom - designed cellular modem .
In a late town hall hosted by Apple senior VP of hardware engineering Johny Srouji , grant to BloombergSrouji evidence employee “ This year , we kvetch off the development of our first inner cellular modem which will enable another key strategic conversion , ” he say . “ farsighted - term strategic investments like these are a critical part of enabling our products and making sure we have a rich pipeline of innovative engineering science for our hereafter . ”
By following the ontogeny of custom Apple - designed Si with Apple - designed modems , Apple is look to land even more of the components it postulate to produce smartphones , tablets , and laptops in - house , expand upon a scheme that Apple has more and more embraced over the last decennary .
Photo: Caitlin McGarry/Gizmodo
Apple ’s full-grown shift to move more and more component design in - theater really ask off in 2010 with the introduction of the Arm - based A4 cow chip used in the first iPad and the iPhone 4 . Since then , Apple has bring command for even more of its components under its roof admit things like the S - series chipping used in the Apple Watch , Apple ’s product line of westward - series Bluetooth and wireless chips , and most notably , Apple ’s late conversion aside from x86 - based Intel processor to Apple ’s own Arm - based chips like the M1 .
https://gizmodo.com/intels-officially-out-of-the-smartphone-modem-following-1840154367
The expectant impetus for Apple ’s push to bring cellular modem development in - sign is probably due in heavy part toApple ’s multi - billion - dollar legal battle with Qualcommover the royalty fee and licensing costs for modems used in iPhones , a war that waged throughout 2018 and 2019 . So even though the two technical school giants eventuallysettled their beefand even agree to a Modern licensing deal for modems that is set to last until at least 2025 , Apple quickly espouse up the colony bypurchasing Intel ’s smartphone modem division for $ 1 billionjust a few months later .
While it ’s unclear when an Apple - design modem might find oneself its way into an actual retail twist , the timeline of Apple ’s current licensing deal with Qualcomm gives the company plenty of time to modernize its own modem without Brobdingnagian pressure to deliver immediately .
allot to Bloomberg , around 11 % of Qualcomm ’s current revenue is derived from peck with Apple , which think of Apple bringing modem development in - sign of the zodiac could have some serious implications for Qualcomm ’s bottom line in the future .
On the flip side , Apple ’s continued embracing of vertical integration has been a Brobdingnagian success over the last ten years , so it ’s a safe bet that modems are just the up-to-the-minute ingredient to get the Apple in - house design discourse .
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