Bloomberg says the company is also developing its own chip to replace the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip it currently uses from Broadcom, and plans to start using it in devices by 2025.
Bloomberg also shared some new information on Apple’s efforts to develop its own cellular modems to replace Qualcomm’s. Qualcomm recently said it expects to have the “vast majority” of 5G modems for 2023 iPhones during Q4 2022 earnings, while Bloomberg says Apple will deploy its own modems “by late 2024 or early 2025”. It looks like Apple will start using its proprietary modem in a single product and the full transition will be completed in about three years.
Apple made an all-in-one cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip
Citing what the company said during its Q4 earnings call, Qualcomm spokesperson Clare Conley said: “For Apple product revenue, we now expect to have the vast majority of 5G modems compared to our previous 20% assumption for the 2023 iPhone launch. Beyond that, our planning assumption remains unchanged and we assume a minimal contribution from Apple product revenues in fiscal 2025.” said.
If Apple does put the chips into production, according to these rumors, it will add more to the company’s growing number of custom chips, which already include things like the A-series system-on-chip array. However, developing the cellular modem also appears to be difficult. The company bought the “majority” of Intel’s smartphone modem business in 2019, and Nikkei reported in 2021 that Apple wants to use its own 5G modem from 2023, but Qualcomm’s latest comments suggest that Apple will launch by 2024 at the earliest. Indicates that it will not switch until .
It’s unclear when a combined cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth chip might be included in an iPhone. Considering that we can wait a while longer with the on-premises cellular modem on its own, we may be a long way from a unified component.