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Apple Plans to Use Qualcomm Chips for 5G iPhones in 2020 Following Settlement

Internationally, where Apple's ecosystem is less sticky and where 5G seems to have more government support with regards to infrastructure, coming out with a phone years later would definitely have had a negative impact on their bottom line. Both sides are probably a little bitter about this, both sides probably made concessions, but both sides and more importantly, consumers, will win in the end.
 
Qualcomm makes a good product, good product costs money, Apple finally figured it out.
Oh, with the Jobs we would never see the circus that Cooks puts up.
 
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cardfan said:
And so even less desire for a 2019 iphone. Better to wait.
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Wait for what? Higher data costs if/when 5G comes to the 5% of cities that it will be operating in 2020? 2022 will be the year 5G reaches about 25% of the market and actually attains speeds as advertised.
 
weup togo said:
This is very good news for Apple. Intel's baseband is inferior to Qualcomms, and it has hurt iPhones. The switch to 5G will put Intel even further behind. And although Apple is going to ship its own in-house baseband, it will take them years to get it up to snuff. The term of this contract gives Apple time to get it right. They just avoided another Apple Maps fiasco in non-upgradable hardware.
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If Apple had confidence in their own modem team, they wouldn’t sign a long term commitment or any commitment with Qualcomm. All this work from Tim Cook suing Qualcomm was a real waste of resources and attention
 
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weup togo said:
This is very good news for Apple. Intel's baseband is inferior to Qualcomms, and it has hurt iPhones. The switch to 5G will put Intel even further behind. And although Apple is going to ship its own in-house baseband, it will take them years to get it up to snuff. The term of this contract gives Apple time to get it right. They just avoided another Apple Maps fiasco in non-upgradable hardware.
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JPack said:
If Apple had confidence in their own modem team, they wouldn’t sign a long term commitment or any commitment with Qualcomm. All this work from Tim Cook suing Qualcomm was a real waste of resources and attention
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Do you remember the Apple Maps fiasco? It has literally zero to do with confidence, and everything to do with mature management.
 
Baymowe335 said:
See how business works guys? Kiss and make up and it’s all business as usual again.
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You have no clue. Apple was dug in and had plenty of money to fight. The settlement appears to me to be a concession and admission from Qualcomm that too much of their business was at risk to continue. Everything dropped?

Apple: “OK look, we will buy your chips if you agree to new, more fair, terms.”
Qualcomm: “Done.”

Qualcomm’s stock up 20%. You think the market didn’t recognize what a big deal this is for QCOM? Apple didn’t even move on the news. They are fine either way.
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Negative. Apple could not have dug in and fought. They need a 5G chip soon or they'll be shipping iPhone 5G in 2021.

The one counterpoint to my opinion that does come mind is that Tim Cook says he tried to buy Qualcomm chips for the latest iPhones, and that Qualcomm refused. So I suppose perhaps he wanted these chips all along.

I still believe Qualcomm was able to dictate terms of the agreement because Apple was out of time.
 
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Scubaman said:
This is a complete non-news item! If you bother to research 5G you’ll discover it can use any one of 3 frequencies. It’s only the highest frequency that gives the 100MB /sec download but only if there are mobile towers every 100 meters!! The medium & low frequencies are barely any better than 4G. As New Scientist put it in a recent article - “5G is a technology looking for a application”! Don’t panic about 5G it’s a waste of time!
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There is very little reason to be against 5G. Technology marches forward and we see it here with cell phone technologies. For users, phone carriers will be pushing toward this aggressively so it is only a matter of time before 4G becomes a weak or poor performer as more and more of its spectrum use is reformed for 5G use. I'm sure the 100 meter limitation isn't a major problem as I am sure in dense urban environments you don't have many towers spaced over 100 meters apart.

Additionally, we'll see 5G iterations over the next decade or two that will enhance it all around. 4G lacked a bunch of features we now leverage heavily at launch.
 
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Absolute and total defeat. Apple just got owned so badly steve is turning in his grave.

First the cancelled wireless charger after it was already printed on the latest earbuds boxes, then a complete disaster rushed Apple TV streaming event that provided zero info and confused everyone, now total capitulation to Qualcomm as apple backs itself into an unwinnable position and left with zero options but to surrender.

Tim Cook needs to go, he is an operational genius, but a total unfit and visionless disaster of a ceo. Not buying Disney or Netflix 3-4 years ago was a colossal mistake, one apple may not recover from. Tim does not have the guts and strength to make the bold moves nor the vision to lead apple. The flip flop self driving car project failure is another example, one of many littered by his tenure as ceo.
 
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I knew I wasn't purchasing a new iPhone this year maybe in 2020 or 2021 now that the iPhones will have Qualcomm 5G in them but it depends on how 5G is rolled out here in Australia.
 
Qualcomm modems are simply superior. Had a 10.5 iPad Pro from 2017, bought a 12.9 with cellular , the 10.5 was almost always faster with both T-Mobile and AT&T.
Also Han both iPhone 7plus Qualcomm ( bought the second one because I couldn’t bring the Intel one to Verizon)and Intel. Much better performance with weak signal. I’m glad they’re back.
 
Apples Apples Everywhere said:
Negative. Apple could not have dug in and fought. They need a 5G chip soon or they'll be shipping iPhone 5G in 2021.

The one counterpoint to my opinion that does come mind is that Tim Cook says he tried to buy Qualcomm chips for the latest iPhones, and that Qualcomm refused. So I suppose perhaps he wanted these chips all along.

I still believe Qualcomm was able to dictate terms of the agreement because Apple was out of time.
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Qualcomm still needed this to work, hence the stock move when this was lifted.

Apple wouldn’t have started this without a clear plan. Something obviously changed because it was all dropped as if nothing happened the last 2 years.

Apple is a bully and I believe had multiple contingency plans if they didn’t get their way, at least partly. Both parties probably didn’t get exactly what they wanted, but I don’t believe Qualcomm dictated anything. Apple wouldn’t have gone down this path without some kind of plan and wouldn’t have settled with zero concession. That would be a waste of 2 years.

Back to reality, the stock move in QCOM shows you how serious this issue was for them.
 
No need to have 5G this year since almost no area on the earth have 5G reception still. 2020 will be good timing though. Don’t be a beta tester, I’m sure the 2nd generation 5G chips are way better.
 
Sooo will the 2019 iPhone be another “me too - let’s just get this year over with” stopgap model with identical design and a fugly camera bump to temper the wait for next year’s superphone, just like the iPhone 7 was?
 
Now the 1 million dollar question is: would the iteration 2 of Intel modem be good enough to deliver a decent product?
 
MacRumors said:

Apple is working on developing its own modem chips in house to avoid relying on either Qualcomm or Intel, but those chips reportedly won't be ready for a 2020 iPhone launch.
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According to Apple,
The companies also have reached a six-year license agreement, effective as of April 1, 2019, including a two-year option to extend, and a multiyear chipset supply agreement.
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I questioned whether Apple will use its modems until the end of their license agreement.
 
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