Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder8.news.weretis.net!reader5.news.weretis.net!news.solani.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: badgolferman <REMOVETHISbadgolferman@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: misc.phone.mobile.iphone
Subject: Re: Mark Gurman on Apple's integrated 5G modem chip designs
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2024 02:48:40 -0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: <v9ubq8$1do6t$1@solani.org>
References: <v9u9qk$2gab$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Injection-Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2024 02:48:40 -0000 (UTC)
Injection-Info: solani.org;
	logging-data="1499357"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@news.solani.org"
User-Agent: NewsTap/5.5 (iPhone/iPod Touch)
Cancel-Lock: sha1:7C2LlQ045yZ40BZCO2/SPbkLUM4= sha1:qQYKY9P+u3uzDoICasBGu7YwDjY=
X-User-ID: eJwNzMERADAEBMCWCA7tEPovIZn9rwkY7QqD2n7UXT6VczQTIsUQpb0Wxjd1cKmC6ziFrMHR6UGzYvGjeD/aFJA=
Bytes: 4267
Lines: 55

Andrew <andrew@spam.net> wrote:
> https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-08-18/why-is-apple-building-own-modem-company-plays-long-game-in-dropping-qualcomm-lzzk8616
> 
> In keeping with the common knowledge Apple is five to ten years behind the
> competition in iPhone design, Mark Gurman is in the news today on Apple's
> 4G modem project (which was announced in 2018 but which started years
> earlier at Intel, which Apple partly funded and then purchased outright).
> 
> https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/08/40432158/why-apple-is-plowing-billions-of-dollars-into-a-project-that-wont-have-a-payoff-near-term-gurman-wei
>   "Apple decided to take up modem chip manufacturing in 2018 when it faced
> a legal battle with Qualcomm over royalties and patents. The two parties
> reached a settlement a year later, agreeing to dismiss all litigation
> between the two companies worldwide.
> 
> Apple agreed to make a payment to Qualcomm and the two also signed a
> six-year license agreement, effective as of April 1, 2019, including a
> two-year option to extend, and a multiyear chipset supply agreement.
> 
> Apple Persists: Despite the pushbacks, Apple is pushing ahead, said Gurman,
> adding that the company has earmarked "billions of dollars, thousands of
> engineers and millions of working hours to a project that won't really
> improve its devices - at least at the outset."
> 
> Some Apple insiders are resigned to the fact that customers don't care
> about whether the modem used in their phones are made in-house or
> outsourced. Taking modem manufacturing in-house could help make the
> marketing pitch that most important iPhone components are made in-house but
> user experience won't noticeably change, said Gurman."
> 
> https://www.phonearena.com/news/apple-spending-billions-probably-wont-improve-devices_id161520
> 
>   '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.
> 
> 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."
> 
> https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-08-18/why-is-apple-building-own-modem-company-plays-long-game-in-dropping-qualcomm-lzzk8616
> https://www.patentlyapple.com/2024/08/apples-upcoming-5g-modem-will-take-years-before-its-devices-will-provide-potential-advantages.html
> 


If I’m paying $1000+ for a premium phone, I want the “best” components in
it. I don’t care who made them, just that the components are reliable and
work well.