no point in them making a stand alone chip. They will eventually integrate it into the A series SOC
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 to Discontinue Custom 5G Modem Development, Claim Reports
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I suspect that this project was too ambitious, and that led to its apparent failure. Perhaps it would have been more fruitful if they had tried to make an LTE modem for the Apple Watch (which does not have 5G) to get the software and manufacturing pipeline in place, then upgraded their chip designs with 5G support.
But it's worth mentioning that these are rumors. Maybe the project has actually seen some success, and they're spinning down one part of the project to make room for the next one.
But it's worth mentioning that these are rumors. Maybe the project has actually seen some success, and they're spinning down one part of the project to make room for the next one.
Not only that, but serious work has already begun on 6G IP, and Qualcomm doesn't hold these. If Apple knows this, in who's right mind would one claim they're out of the modem business ?
Maybe out of the 5G modem business, as the article's title claims, but in no way out of the modem business; that's just ridiculous.
Last edited:
Yeah, that comment made no sense at all.
Apple will probably now just focus on 6G technology which is just 5-7 years away
Great... I wonder if it will be as big of a flop as 5G?
5G was not a flop, 4G was more of a flop on promises never kept. I get over 900 mbps speeds easily, must be a you problem
Apple may try to buy Qualcomm or just complain to the government that Qualcomm has too much of Monopoly on 5G technology. Apple complaining that another company has a Monopoly will take the cake 🎂 😂
Downtown louisville, 4G (LTE) I get 120mbit, 5g UC/UW, 120mbit.. same for my coworkers. I have a personal iPhone on T-Mobile and a work-issued iPhone on Verizon and speeds are similar between the two.
At home over the years. 3G, 60mbit down, LTE, 60mbit down, 5G UC, 60mbit down.
Edit: I think it's just my area. Haven't ran speed tests when I travel because I don't really care, but it's still interesting.
Last edited by a moderator:
It’s the right move to disconnect. Four years after buying Intel’s 5G business and patents, they have nothing to show for it. Intel had a working modem and Apple couldn’t make it happen after copying Intel’s homework and with access to 3nm.
6G is all about terahertz and satellite communications. 6G patents are being filed and test satellites are already being launched. If Apple can’t figure 5G today, they have no chance at keeping up.
6G is all about terahertz and satellite communications. 6G patents are being filed and test satellites are already being launched. If Apple can’t figure 5G today, they have no chance at keeping up.
What do you mean when you talk of a publicly-traded, for-profit company being “too greedy” that differentiates it from any other? Companies generally have an obligation to shareholders to make as much money as they possibly can.
Last edited:
I see that others are jumping at your comment but I see some merit in it. The list of failed products (outright crap or, even worse, the gradual realization of failure) is long and growing. Now, whether that observation links directly to the later part of your comment is questionable but is a strong working hypothesis. If I were at Apple HQs, I would have been very mindful of the trends and looking to address these worrying signs if not ASAP but soon. The Apple compass is not pointing to the true North anymore. This is in contrast to recent advancements and adaptations of their competitors who, while not having such an intertwined universe of devices, soft and cloud services, are much more labile and eager to adapt to trends and customers' needs (instead of telling the customers what they want). Sometime I feel that Apple needs to break up into more independent entities to become a more agile company for this century.
IMHO They could use Mediatek for the Modem if they, understandably, want to reduce reliance on Qualcomm.
They could have used a mix of them, this would have given them leverage as well in negotiations.
I am not sure how things got that bad to go for such extreme measures but when you do you need to be sure that you can play the game and win it, they clearly were not and likely are not.
Mediatek would be more than happy to license the design so that Apple could include it in their SOC, see https://www.mediatek.com/technology/5g/5g-modem
What Beats me if why of why Apple felt compelled to do it in-house, These Modems require such a crazy amount of expertise that you can't simply hire a few people and expect to do it. It is order (or even orders) of magnitude more complex than what they pulled off doing the transition to Arm, and it shows, sadly.
And even if you could get something that works enough keeping up with the evolution is an insane amount of work besides the fact that if you don't have a gazillion patents on your belt then it is not even worth it anyway.
PS: No, I do not work or have any affiliation with Mediatek whilst I currently work in the industry
It’s not as if they were going to pass some of the savings onto the customers, so I don’t really care.
You should have bought Qualcomm stock years ago since they have all those 5G patents
Ha yep. A couple years ago I predicted Tim Cook would look back on buying Intel’s modem business as having been one of his biggest mistakes. People downvoted it.
Rumors for years were that they basically had to scrap everything they bought anyway. Seems like it was not a very good investment now.
Don’t mistake that for thinking he made a mistake in trying to make their own 5G modems, just in trying to start from what Intel had.
As long as they keep selling a zillion iPhones per year they’ll be fine, but that could change the minute they apply the same standards of care and attention to the iPhone.
Mediatek modem is at least three generations behind Qualcomm based on speed alone. It has the same speed as Qualcomm X60.
Apple already played that game by using Intel. It doesn’t work because Intel couldn’t keep up.
Apple should continue their 5G modem effort, it’s a lot closer to their competency than a ****ing credit card.
Millions of iPhone customers are also Mac customers
Smart phone sales are maturing as technology matures and people don’t see the need to upgrade as often.
It’s ridiculous to take so many products that people love, and just ignore them in favor of a single product that the public opinion on can turn on with one bad release.
"unconfirmed reports coming out of Asia” that instantly turn into indisputable facts on tech blog forums. And we wonder why we’re in the era of alternative facts and truths.
Please explain how Apple is a monopoly. Oh wait, you can’t because it’s not.