Kuo: Development on Apple-Designed Wi-Fi Chip Paused 'for a While'

Apple has paused work on the Wi-Fi chip that it has in development, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today. The development of the Apple-designed Wi-Fi chip has been "halted" at the current time, and Kuo says Apple will hold off "for a while."

Apple Wi Fi Chip Feature Triad
That means that Apple supplier Broadcom will continue providing Apple with Wi-Fi chips for the foreseeable future, including supplying the chips for the upcoming iPhone 15 models that are set to be released in 2023.

News of Apple's work on a Wi-Fi chip first surfaced in January when Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple was working on a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip that would replace components that are sourced from Broadcom. At the time, Gurman said that Apple was aiming to transition to its own chips starting in 2024, replacing Broadcom parts by 2025.

Note that the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip is separate from the 5G modem chip that Apple also has in development to replace technology from Qualcomm. Apple's ultimate goal is to produce many more of the iPhone's critical components in-house, reducing its reliance on third-party companies.

Eventually, Apple wants to create a chip that combines the cellular modem, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth functions into one, and the company is also working to replace the radio-frequency chips and chips for wireless charging that it gets from Qualcomm.

Kuo says that Apple's previous development for a Wi-Fi solution was a Wi-Fi only chip and not the rumored Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo chip. The pairing of the two technologies is more challenging for Apple to do.

More specifically, Apple's previous development for Wi-Fi solution was the Wi-Fi-only chip and not the Wi-Fi+Bluetooth combo chip. From a design standpoint, developing a Wi-Fi+Bluetooth combo chip is more challenging than just a Wi-Fi-only chip. Since most of Apple's products use the combo chip, it would be even more challenging to replace Broadcom's combo chips with its own if Apple decides to do so.

Work on a Wi-Fi chip has been paused because Apple wants to focus its chip design resources on the advanced 3-nanometer chips that are set to power future iPhones and other devices. Kuo says that "insufficient development resources" are therefore delaying the mass production of not only Apple's 5G chip, but also the Wi-Fi chip.

Kuo believes that over the next two to three years, it will be risky for Apple to use its own Wi-Fi chips as standards are changing and Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 are being adopted. For now, Kuo thinks Apple will begin adopting Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 chips for its devices, with Broadcom to benefit.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple Glass

Apple Smart Glasses: Everything We Know So Far

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by
Google made waves yesterday by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand. Current Development Status Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired Feature 1

macOS 16: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday May 20, 2025 7:31 am PDT by
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system. macOS 16 Name? Every year ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple's Next-Gen Version of Siri Is 'On Par' With ChatGPT

Monday May 19, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple has big plans to improve Siri over the next few years, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett report. Some Apple executives are now reportedly pushing to turn Siri into a true ChatGPT competitor. A next-generation, chatbot version of Siri has reportedly made significant progress during testing over the past six months; some executives allegedly now see it as "on par" with recent...

Top Rated Comments

xxray Avatar
30 months ago
Is Apple ok? There have been quite a few (unannounced) projects delayed or cancelled recently and lots of high level staff leaving. Seems like a lot is changing behind the scenes.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Justin Cymbal Avatar
30 months ago
I didn’t know that Apple was working on their own Wi-Fi chip

It would be awesome if Apple did come out with their own Wi-Fi chips and if they got back into the router business

An Apple HomeKit designed AirPort router with Apple’s version of a proprietary Wi-Fi chip would definitely be awesome
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wildkraut Avatar
30 months ago
LOL hearing about "insufficient development resources" of a company that has the weight of multiple tech companies is a laughingstock.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kycophpd Avatar
30 months ago

Is Apple ok? There have been quite a few (unannounced) projects delayed or cancelled recently and lots of high level staff leaving. Seems like a lot is changing behind the scenes.
Between continuing issues from covid along with the current political climate, this is every company, not just Apple.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oofio2461 Avatar
30 months ago
And when it comes out it will probably have wifi 6E, not 7, judging how fast Apple takes to adapt to new Wifi Standards.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
james2538 Avatar
30 months ago
Kinda sounds like Apple is starting to spread itself too thin if it has to start reassigning resources so other things get finished on time.

Also if you’re gonna do a WiFi chip it makes more sense to do a combo with Bluetooth and replace both at once.

My worry with these Apple designed chips is performance. I don’t want them falling behind on new standards (which matter significantly with WiFi)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)