Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!usenet.blueworldhosting.com!diablo1.usenet.blueworldhosting.com!nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Andrew Newsgroups: misc.phone.mobile.iphone Subject: Mark Gurman on Apple's integrated 5G modem chip designs Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2024 02:14:45 -0000 (UTC) Organization: BWH Usenet Archive (https://usenet.blueworldhosting.com) Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2024 02:14:45 -0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com; logging-data="82251"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@blueworldhosting.com" User-Agent: NewsTap/5.5 (iPad) Cancel-Lock: sha1:pNvTZqWyDmw258Sr5TLA9Bg1lQk= sha256:wtYrSU49+FeLntLp8rWb6D7bFpbdlFdrakXkiun+wcY= sha1:DSH89CTKa0IL3X4L0km4EXckMAQ= sha256:o/41cCHNg80ktesCbLfO6Ry56JuAo4KFqJgRt+ulTn8= X-Face: VQ}*Ueh[4uTOa]Md([|$jb%rw~ksq}bzqA;z-.*8JM`4+zL[`N\ORHCI80}]}$]$e5]/i#v qdYsE`yh@ZL3L{H:So{yN)b=AZJtpaP98ch_4W} Bytes: 4157 Lines: 47 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