Apple has reportedly set an aggressive 2022 deadline to develop in-house 5G modems as part of a system-on-a-chip (SoC) design to be used in future iPhones and iPads, claims a new report today.
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According to Fast Company, Apple plans to have completed all the development, testing, and certification necessary by the new deadline to be able to include the modems in new iPhones the same year.
However, given the arduous testing and certification process required after the chip design and fabrication is complete, a two-years deadline for the modem is "really pushing it," according to the report's source, who is said to have knowledge of Apple's plans.
The main stumbling block is said to be the network optimization testing that's necessary to make sure the modem doesn't conflict with the wireless networks of other carriers. In addition, tests are needed to ensure compliance with global standards, not to mention the ability of the modem to satisfy FCC requirements.
Given those hurdles, Fast Company's source believes 2023 may be a more realistic completion date for Apple's SoC modem.
Apple agreed to acquire the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business in June, with a view to accelerating the development of its own 5G modem. A previous source claimed the iPhone maker wants to have an in-house chip ready for use in some of its products by 2021, while earlier sources reported timeframes of between 2022 and 2025.
Whatever the timeline is and regardless of whether Apple is able to stick to it, the company's transition to custom 5G modems will likely happen in phases, starting with lower-end and older models of devices. Apple has a multiyear chipset supply agreement with Qualcomm, and a six-year patent license agreement, so it doesn't exactly have to rush the process.
In the meantime, Apple is expected to use Qualcomm's chips for the first 5G-enabled iPhones in 2020.
Top Rated Comments
You couldn’t be more wrong but guess that’s why Apple is a multi billion dollar company and you are a macrumors “expert” lolApple is on borrowed time, they know this and are adding custom chips in MacBook to take over tasks that the x64 would handle to control what hardware macOS can be installed on as more and more pro Mac users jump ship to running macOS on none Apple hardware as Apple products are cheaply built prone to failure and are heavily overpriced.
they now macOS iOS is the only reason they buy MacBooks but if developers could easily use other brands and still develop for iOS it would happen and slowly move to Android and once again become a 1-3% market share platform and this time no way to recover
Another area that Apple has lost ground is how easy it is to repair products Microsoft just shows how you can make a great looking device and still be easy access for repair Apple dose not want this because if you seen how badly they are designed ? you will panic
I don't get all the moaning about not having 5G - I see it on many forums for all brands. I'd be delighted if I ever managed to get 4G reliably.Tbh 3G was fast enough for me. What I’d like to see is Apple working toward lower prices. Their Pro iPhone doesn’t even have a USBc port and still retails for €1,179 in my country for the 64 GB version. I shudder to think what an Apple car might cost. And parts?
I suggest that most manufacturers phone specs are plenty for the majority of users now. Improving the price and workflow integration (and always, camera quality) are all I am looking for now really.
Macbook Pro's on the other hand... (yeah, I went there).