2023-11-17 01:27:59
The eternal saga of Apple to design (and, effectively, equip your devices with) a 5G modem seems to be even further from reaching the end. According to a new article by Mark Gurman in Bloombergeverything indicates that Maçã will not be able to replace the component of Qualcomm until the end of 2025 or beginning of 2026.
More precisely, within Apple, the development of the company’s proprietary modem would still be at an early stage — which might delay its debut by one or two years compared to initially projected. Apple’s idea, it’s worth remembering, was to equip a fourth generation of the iPhone SE with the component next year.
According to the publication, one of the biggest challenges faced by Apple is with regard to testing. While working with a chip like a processor is more local and controlled, mobile connectivity modems need to operate and function properly with hundreds of different carriers around the world.
This is a challenge of gigantic proportions, as any minimal problem can affect/interrupt calls or internet access on devices. Although Apple can simulate connections with these various carriers in its laboratories, nothing is as accurate as the practical (and massive) experience of years in the industry that allowed Qualcomm to develop the best chip on the market.
So far, to give you an idea, the first version of Apple’s modem does not support the mmWave standard, which allows speeds five times faster than regular 5G connections. Although current American iPhones support this feature, it is not yet certain whether it will be included in the first version of Apple’s component — which will be quite a downgrade if it happens.
Another relevant challenge concerns the development of the software used to power the modem. Much of the software inherited mainly from Intel had to be completely rewritten, as it would simply “break” with future additions of new features.
Finally, Apple also has to worry regarding not infringing Qualcomm’s patents, with which it recently extended its modem supply contract until 2026. If it uses any of its competitor’s registered technology, Apple will be forced to pay for royalties for each device that uses it.
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