Apple currently makes use of chips from other chipmakers for its devices’ wireless needs. But it looks like the iPhone maker is pushing to make its own all-in-one chips that are made in-house to take care of its devices cellular, WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.
Bloomberg reports that Apple is looking to first replace chips from Broadcom that give its devices WiFi and Bluetooth. At the same time, the iPhone maker is also working on making its own cellular modem so that it won’t have to use those from Qualcomm. Though for the latter, this is notably not a new effort, since it has already acquired Intel’s 5G modem business.
As for when Apple will start using these internally made chips of its own, the report states that the company is aiming to start using its Broadcom replacements in 2025. For the Qualcomm cellular modems, a deal signed back in 2019 following a legal back-and-forth ensures that Apple has to use Qualcomm parts until 2024. But that’s not stopping the iPhone maker from working on an all-in-one chip that will handle all three. That being said, it’s still unclear when this one will be ready for use in its devices.
Should Apple be successful in making its WiFi and Bluetooth combo chip, it won’t be cutting off Broadcom entirely, at least not yet. In addition to the two aforementioned wireless tech, the former will still have to rely on the latter for “radio-frequency chips and ones that handle wireless charging”. That being said, the report also notes that the fruit company is already working on customising those parts too.
In the meantime, things look to be business as usual for all three companies, until at least 2024. This year is also looking to be a particularly unexciting one minus the mixed reality headset, if a prior report is to be believed.
(Source: Bloomberg)
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