I just wish iPhones had better cellular radio performance as far as working where signals are less then ideal. It’s embarrassing when an $80 Tracfone from Walmart works better.
Apple is in preliminary talks with new suppliers about backend orders for its first in-house 5G modem chips for iPhones, according to a new report from DigiTimes.
Apple is reportedly negotiating with ASE Technology, which owns Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) and Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL), to package some of its first self-designed 5G modem chips.
The report notes that ASE and SPIL have both been Qualcomm's partners for packaging 5G modem chips for iPhones, including its latest Snapdragon X65 5G modem-RF system now being manufactured at Samsung Electronics.
Apple has already lined up its main chip manufacturing partner TSMC to begin producing the majority of its new in-house modem chips, which are expected to appear in the 2023 iPhone.
Apple and TSMC are currently trialing production of Apple's in-house modem designs using TSMC's 5-nanometer process, but that they will shift to the more advanced 4-nanometer technology for mass production.
TSMC is already aiming to use 4-nanometer technology for the main A-series chip in the 2022 iPhone lineup, with 2022 iPads and 2023 iPhones moving to 3-nanometer technology for their A-series chips.
The move, which has been under development for several years and enhanced by Apple's 2019 acquisition of the majority of Intel's modem business, will allow Apple to shift away from Qualcomm as a supplier for the important chips that support cellular connectivity.
Article Link: Apple Diversifies Supply Chain for Custom-Designed 5G Modem for iPhones in 2023
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Diversifies Supply Chain for Custom-Designed 5G Modem for iPhones in 2023
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Bold1: What you write, surely this is everything that Apple asked Intel to do for them, a company who had been in the design and manufacture of modems for decades, a company with decades of R&D and engineering experience and when Apple came calling for 5G modems, Intel tried but threw in the towel because they couldn't make the chips to the specs that Apple wanted. This resulted in Apple pulling it's contract with Intel to go it alone. Intel's modem business collapsed overnight due to their biggest customer leaving them. The business makes huge losses and put's up the business for sale. Apple buys Intels modem business and goes 'we will get TSMC to build the modem chips because they can make chips smaller and better than anyone else'. So Apple, now with all of Intel's modem R&D and patents goes to TSMC 'here, make this for us'. Intel admitted they could not match TSMC's die process so if this is a mjor reason why Intel lost it's contract with Apple because they could not make the chips small enough then this posses serious questions for Intel and it's future, espically if TSMC expand their business and say 'come to us CPU companies, we can make your CPU's smaller whilst perfromance is either the same or better and cheaper'
Bold2: This is only going to work if the Intel modem patents that Apple purchased during the sale of the modem business perform well with TSMC's small die process because if it doesn't, customers will not accept a lower performing modem chip. I believe this happened with Apple and Intels 3G/4G modem, customers complained bitterly about how bad the mobile signal performance was forcing Apple to go back to using Qualcomm modems.
Agreed. Qualcomm has a lot of expertise in this space. Jobs recognized this on the first iPhone. iPhone X with its modem lottery.
Apple has a long history of getting frustrated (often rightfully so) feeling they are being held back by other companies - IBM and the PowerPC chips, the Metroworks C compiler, Intel and the x86-64 chips, etc. They're much happier when they can design their own instance of a thing and have total control over it, rather than having to either choose a not-quite-right item off the shelf, or beg for changes that come closer to what they want (and then not necessarily getting those changes). Sure, it would also mean paying less to Qualcomm/etc., but I think the independence to get exactly what they want is a huge deal to them.
Weird that it's been over 4 years and I still read that as "iPhone ecks".
I would stay with Qualcomm modem iPhone for as long as you can. Those Intel modems we’re trash and apple accepted it like it was high quality oh hell no .
Only on Macrumors and 9to5mac will you see these kind of non-sense like Apple making modem and somehow not required to pay license and patents fees. In 2022, after years of stating on forums before mainstream media reporting, after being proven in court case, after even being stated in annual reports, they are still repeating the same thing.
They just dont learn.
Edit: I forgot, the report of 200M iPhone. I am not sure if that is just a number they decided it was there or was it actual supply chain information. Because that would imply all 2023 iPhone will have Apple Modem. Instead of phasing them out step by step like the Intel and Qualcomm transition.
Last edited:
The problem with Apple is that they appear to not accept that there are others out there who are better than them in some areas and this attitude prevents them from paying patent license fee's until they are forced to by the courts. Proof of this is the abundance of patent courts cases against Apple over the years. Apple has what it takes to go it alone in many technological areas but if they do not own the patents to the technology, all they are going to do is make an inferior product. Intel have modem patents but their modems have always been inferior to Qualcomm's. It therefore does not make a blind bit of difference how small Apple make their chips if they do not have the patents to make their modems the best. Which is why I do not think Qualcomm is worried about Apple buying Intels modem business and using TSMC to make the chips because Qualcomm know they hold the patents that make a modem a very good modem and if Apple want to have a very good modem Qualcomm know Apple is going to have to approach Qualcomm for a licensing deal.
When it comes to the core modem I have no idea but from a technology point of view even if there is not much optimisation gain to be had there Apple having the design in house might pave the way for integrating other stuff onto a single comms chip to simplify the PCB, increase efficiency, reduce overall PCB area to make space for other stuff inside (perhaps bigger battery) or maybe for Apple to go back to its quest for thinness again(*). I think this has the potential to be very exciting even if the modem itself ends up being pretty much on par with what Qualcomm is delivering.
(*) Personally I’d rather see any extra internal space made available used for even bigger batteries but that’s just me.
Stop deluding yourself. Unless Apple uses Qualcomm patents their chip is going to be no where near on par with Qualcomm's.
