Apple-Designed 5G Modem Said to Debut in All 2023 iPhone Models

[name99]

I would ask how in the world with Apple's networking track record with iCloud could they get a well design chip in just 2 years? Call me crazy, but they could not even make a wireless charger 2 years after announcement.

And before you chime in with look at Apple's CPUs, CPUs are nothing compared to RF design.

Clearly you're interested in making a (lame) point, not in understanding.

(a) Calling what Apple was trying to do with AirPower a "wireless charger" is a deliberate obfuscation.
(b) Wireless charging is hardly RF technology.
(c) Apple already has two extremely performant RF chips that they've been using for a while, the W3 and the H1.

 

[Charlesrfinal]

Will be interesting to see if their first few iterations match Qualcomm or push innovations. Since what they acquired from intel was struggling to match Qualcomm.

 

[repoman016]

very doubtful to appear in all iPhones, maybe 1 model, and only if we have seen an Apple modem in an iPad or a MacBook in 2022 ... modems are not easy so I cannot see Apple f]going in full speed without testing it for at least a year in a non-iphone, they're not that stupid. The modem has to be on par or better than Qualcomm and that won't come that easy

Didn't they do this with the iPhone 7 and had issues when moving from Qualcomm to Intel?

 

[jz0309]

Didn't they do this with the iPhone 7 and had issues when moving from Qualcomm to Intel?

and not to forget the outrage here on MR ...

 

[ellsworth]

Great! I hope this means that all Mac Laptops will come included with 5G modems built in so we can finally have cellular services. It's only taken 20+ years. Just saying.

 

[Internaut]

I'm wondering if Apple will wait for its own modem tech before it introduces 5G to MacBooks.

 

[grjj]

Why would it take them so long? That's two years 🤔

There's a tremendous amount of complexity and detail in a cellular modem. many frequencies, protocols and jurisdictions to name some of the big items.
multi-path signal rejection (echos), low and strong signal, security, tower handoff, low power standby modes, to name a few other items I can easily imagine.
This isn't the same sort of thing as a 56K dial-up modem from the 90s, or even a cable or DSL modem of today, airwaves are the wild west compared to a private copper wire. Thousands of devices could be talking to the same tower at the same time and the modem needs to reject everything except the tower signals, and it needs to be right every millisecond or call drop or cross.

 

[gene731]

Qualcomm to innovate more?
Qualcom already has their SD888 with an integrated 5G SA modem that supports LTE also.
Apple is playing catch up, big time.
They don't even have sample silicon, let alone a processor with an integrated modem. SMH...

So you work for Apple in their cellular modem R&as? I mean since you know they don’t have a sample silicon and all. If you have Tim Cook on speed dial perhaps you can call him and tell him that Apple needs to step up their game?

 

[deevey]

Why would it take them so long? That's two years 🤔

Probably so they don't infringe on any Qualcomm patents

 

[gene731]

11th generation Qualcomm modem that's been battle tested with previous iterations over the decade on billions and billions of smartphones (including Android) VS 1st generation Apple modem that never has seen the light of day before.

You choose.

I would choose Apple. Do I expect growing pains, of course, but you do know that Apple gobbled up Intels cellular modem so I’d say they have a lot of smart people that know what they’re doing. It’s not like Apple isn’t going to be field testing these before they are released anyway. Besides, if Apple puts them in “all” of their 2023 smartphones then you aren’t having a choice anyway unless you jump ship to Android.

 

[Klyster]

.

 

[IG88]

So how does all this become a win for Broadcom?

I've been wondering about that as well.

 

[Kabeyun]

I'm sure that when they dropped their war and Apple agreed to buy modems exclusively from QCOM for 5 years, AAPL's lawyers also put in some provisions against future suits. Companies aren't as stupid as the average contributor to these forums seem to think.

That same stupidity probably leads some people to assume that companies won’t try to sue each other even with supposedly suit-resistant provisions in place.

 

[_Spinn_]

This will be great. It is going to be really interesting to see how the first few generations stack up against Qualcomm modems.

 

[macsareveryinteresting]

Sounds pretty cool! But I wish it would happen right now since this is going to take place two years from now.

 

[Solomani]

Who cares when T mobile now gives me fake 5g ?

The T-Mobile Fake 5G is great.... except that you only get 3 bars (or better) if you're in the kitchen. Or the upstairs bedroom. But not in the family room, living room, or the downstairs office room.

 

[ksec]

I realize Apple needs to recover the costs of acquiring Intel's modem division, plus R and D since then. But at some point in the future, please start passing along the cost savings of all that vertical integration to the consumer. Please Apple?

They actually do. Which is why you haven't seen large price jump with 5G. Basically they are fighting very hard to stay at the current level of pricing structure. That is of course with their margin remains the same.

The next logical step should be WiFi. But I guess Apple dont want to take on too much responsibility at the same time. But W1, H1 are steps in those directions.

You may want to ask them to stop spending billions into Apple TV+ instead and pass the cost saving to consumers.

 

[techwhiz]

So you work for Apple in their cellular modem R&as? I mean since you know they don’t have a sample silicon and all. If you have Tim Cook on speed dial perhaps you can call him and tell him that Apple needs to step up their game?

No I don't work for Apple, but I do work in the industry.
I'm pretty confident that they don't have sample silicon for a modem.
They acquired the Intel group last year(all the tech but not all the people).
I know what the schedule is for tapeout to silicon and I'd be willing to bet all my cash on hand that they don't have sample 5G modem silicon, let alone silicon for an iPad/iPhone with an integrated modem.

I know enough about chip development (doing it for decades) to know how long it takes to design a chip.
You design any chips lately?

 

[tongxinshe]

Even if Apple uses its own cellular chips, they still need to pay the exact same amount of license fees to Qualcomm, based on the retail price of each iPhone. So, in the end, the cost could only go up.

 

[0924487]

Why would it take them so long? That's two years 🤔

It took Huawei 20 years to catch up and lead the market. For Apple to join the party and license technologies from Huawei and others in just 3 years is already very fast.

 

[@Brett]

I don’t know exactly when Apple’s 5G modem chip will debut, but it will be about two hours before Qualcomm sues them over IP.

I doubt Qualcomm will be able to sue as Apple got the IP from Intel also.

 

[Steve121178]

And financial analysts are still bullish on Intel this year, I don't get it.

Intel's business is far, far more than just CPU's. Having said that, PC sales are booming so why wouldn't analysts be bullish?

Yes, they have a lot of work to do but anyone claiming Intel are doomed really needs to stop embarrassing themselves.

 

[4look4rd]

I hope we don’t have to wait until 2023 for 5g macs.

 

[4look4rd]

So you work for Apple in their cellular modem R&as? I mean since you know they don’t have a sample silicon and all. If you have Tim Cook on speed dial perhaps you can call him and tell him that Apple needs to step up their game?

apple bought their modem division from intel last year, it’s really not a secret they don’t have their modem ready yet. They did it because intel was withdrawing from the modem market and Qualcomm was suing apple.

 

[nt5672]

Clearly you're interested in making a (lame) point, not in understanding.

(a) Calling what Apple was trying to do with AirPower a "wireless charger" is a deliberate obfuscation.
(b) Wireless charging is hardly RF technology.
(c) Apple already has two extremely performant RF chips that they've been using for a while, the W3 and the H1.

a + b) Exactly my point wireless charging is not rocket science and they failed.
c) Which one of these is responsible for all of the bluetooth and WiFi problems Apple devices have?