Apple said to drop Qualcomm as a supplier in 2024, followed by Broadcom by 2025, as it pursues a variety of custom solutions
With Qualcomm said to be Apple’s only supplier of 5G modems for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 series, an in-house 5G modem may not be ready until 2025. Bloomberg published a report stating with time, the firm also has plans to develop wireless solutions that will make Broadcom redundant as a partner. On this occasion, the report states that transitioning to its in-house 5G chips will commence in 2024. As for 2025, Apple wants to stop using Broadcom’s solutions and roll out its own chip that will support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Apple signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Broadcom, which is said to expire in a few months. Though separate custom chips will be developed to support cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity, Apple is said to be looking much further into the future. It has plans to develop a single solution that will provide cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity without adding Qualcomm and Broadcom into the mix. The advantage of this single-chip solution is that an iPhone or iPad will save space instead of requiring three separate places on the logic board. Secondly, having a single chip on the board may also make it more energy efficient and give the California-based giant greater software. Then again, all that depends on the kind of progress Apple experiences during its quest to develop this ‘All in One’ connectivity solution. Unfortunately, creating an in-house 5G modem or a chip that provides Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity is easier said than done. Making these components play nicely with a host of varying frequencies is just one of the many challenges, so we expect Apple’s work to be cut out for the next couple of years. Regardless, we cannot wait to see what it comes up with next. News Source: Bloomberg
