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    • Apple continues to spend billions on something that is unlikely to improve its devices
    Michigan

    Apple continues to spend billions on something that is unlikely to improve its devices

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

    Apple will reportedly continue to invest billions of dollars and millions of man-hours developing its own cellular modems. This report comes from Bloomberg’s Apple insider Mark Gurman, who says a cellular modem from Apple is unlikely to improve any of the company’s devices.

    A cellular modem is the component in a smartphone that gives the phone access to the internet over a mobile broadband connection, which is what you know as 3G, 4G, 5G, and more. This in-house cellular modem is designed by the same team that made today’s impressive M-series chips used in Macs and iPads.

    Current Apple devices use modems from Qualcomm, a practice that Apple has been trying to move away from since 2018. However, the company has not been able to produce a satisfactory device since development began six years ago, as performance and heating issues have frequently occurred.

    The iPhone 15 Pro Max uses a Qualcomm modem. | Image credit — PhoneArena – Apple continues to spend billions on something that is unlikely to improve its devicesThe iPhone 15 Pro Max uses a Qualcomm modem. | Image credit — PhoneArena – Apple continues to spend billions on something that is unlikely to improve its devices

    The iPhone 15 Pro Max uses a Qualcomm modem. | Image credit — PhoneArena

    But Gurman says there is no real advantage to having a dedicated cellular modem in Apple’s devices. Qualcomm’s modems are brilliant and are unmatched by most competitors, including Intel.

    Gurman argues that one reason for Apple’s desire to have its own modems is so the company can market its devices as having its own components. Another reason may be that Apple reportedly plans to develop a unified chip that controls all wireless functions, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

    If I had to guess, I’d say it was simply because Apple feels it’s paying Qualcomm too much. Marketing gimmicks and unified chips might follow. But the reason Apple is working so hard on its own modem today is so it doesn’t owe Qualcomm anything tomorrow. Something that, as Gurman points out, is unlikely because Qualcomm holds too many patents.

    iPhones are some of the best phones on the market today, and upcoming AI features and improved chips will only make them better. But who knows, perhaps a dedicated cellular modem could benefit Apple greatly in the future.

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    Caradoc Wyn
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