iPhone. Company Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), is forced to resort to desperate measures at the moment in order to be able to offer its customers what they want to use in the phones they are preparing for launch. Following all the problems registered by the Americans regarding the purchase of 5G modems for future iPhone models, the Apple company decided to send its projects to develop these products alone.
iPhone. Apple has between 1000 and 2000 engineers developing 5G modems for its future mobile phones, some of them coming from Intel, others from Qualcomm, so it has a very diverse team. Those from Apple have seriously expedited the development process of modems for the iPhone, but it is unlikely that their first component of this kind will be integrated into their own phones until 2021, a little late compared to what the Americans want.
iPhone. DESPERATE measures taken by Apple
iPhone. Apple would like to integrate 5G modems in its phones starting from 2020, but it has nowhere to buy these components, being refused by Samsung, and being left without alternatives from other companies. Apple does not trust that Intel can supply it with 5G modems for the iPhones that will be launched in 2020, the company already missing several deadlines for the development process, and having to offer the first prototypes this summer.
It is possible that future iPhone modem chips could be designed at that facility by Apple employees, and then manufactured by TSMC or Samsung. But that effort is likely about iPhones for 2021 and beyond. Because Apple demands that its orders be first in line for Intel's fab, Intel is forced to lower the priority of higher-margin chip orders, such as chips for data center servers. Intel, our source says, has been internally conflicted over the Apple business.
iPhone. The relationship between Apple and Intel also seems to be very tense, the latter selling their components with extremely low profit, and prioritizing them over those that generate higher profit, but are in smaller volume. The new CEO of Intel could put Apple at the bottom of his priorities since the profit generated from doing business with it is very small, and so those from Cupertino are focusing on developing their own 5G modems for iPhone phones.
iPhone. Whether or not Apple will manage to prepare a 5G modem for the phones that will be launched in 2020, we still don't know, but the chances of this happening are extremely low at the moment.
