Apple is preparing to initiate a major technological change

Apple is reportedly set to shake up the mobile phone industry. Its plan? Replace Qualcomm chips with its own modems.

This is the dream that the Apple company has been pursuing for years. An ambitious project that raises as many hopes as questions.

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A colossal investment for an uncertain result

Johny Srouji, Apple’s head of hardware technology, said it himself: the company only starts developing its own components if it really adds value to its products. But here, we can scratch our heads: Qualcomm’s modems are already the best there is. So why is Apple getting into this mess?

According to Mark Gurman of Bloombergyou know it well by now, Apple is putting in the effort: billions of dollars, thousands of engineers, and a crazy amount of time. But be careful, don’t expect your next iPhone to work miracles overnight. At first, it won’t change much for us, the users.

So, has Apple lost its marbles? No, at least not this time. The strategy is long-term. First, it could save Apple a lot of money by reducing the royalties paid to Qualcomm (even if it will still have to pay for some patents). Second, Apple dreams of integrating its modem into a super chip that would also manage Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Result? Potentially better battery life and increased reliability. And? 5G in Macs… imagine!

But that’s not all: by manufacturing its own modems, Apple could have free rein to design the iPhones of the future. With even thinner, more original designs, because they would no longer be limited by the constraints of Qualcomm chips.

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A path strewn with pitfalls

Okay, that all sounds great on paper, but in real life, it’s a different story. Apple has had its share of issues in the past: remember the overheating issues or the lousy performance. We remember the performance differences when there were Qualcomm and Intel models, randomly on iPhones.

If Apple screws up with its homegrown modems, it could be a real image disaster, a bit like the ” Antennagate » of the iPhone 4.

Even Srouji admits that developing a modem is “extremely difficult.” It must be said that it is a real headache: mobile networks are a complex world, and you have to test the thing in every direction and at every latitude.

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In fact, the initial schedule has taken a big hit. It was thought that Apple would start using its own modems as early as next year, but no! In February 2024, Apple extended its agreement with Qualcomm until March 2027. Translation: the development of in-house modems is taking longer than expected.

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Qualcomm boss Christiano Amon even confirmed that Apple had activated an option to extend the existing patent licensing agreement for two more years. In short, Qualcomm will continue to supply its modem technologies to Apple at least until March 2027.

An article from the Wall Street Journal September 2023 gives us a glimpse of the struggles Apple has encountered. Despite the acquisition of Intel’s modem department and the hiring of thousands of engineers, the path is more difficult than expected. Developing a 5G modem compatible with all 2G, 3G and 4G frequencies in the world is complicated.

Even more worrying: the prototypes tested last year were apparently behind the times, three years behind Qualcomm’s best chips. Ouch!

Mark Gurman’s analysis suggests that Apple is playing the long game, willing to take some short-term hitches for potential future gains. But repeated delays and the extension of the contract with Qualcomm show that the road to independence is steeper than expected.