South Korea has reported that Apple, after facing repeated failures in perfecting its own 5G modem chip, has decided to halt its development. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to emphasize that official confirmation of this information is still pending.
Apple Reportedly Discontinues In-House 5G Modem Chip Development
According to a disclosure from the news aggregation account “yeux1122” on the Korean portal Naver blog, sources within Apple 5G modem chip unit’s supply chain have conveyed that the company’s efforts to independently develop modems have been unsuccessful. Consequently, Apple is putting an end to its multi-year investment projects. Additionally, whistleblower @Tech_Reve has echoed similar information from supply chain sources in Japan.
While the authenticity of the report remains uncertain, the Wall Street Journal had previously reported in September about Apple facing various challenges in its plan to develop its modem chips. These challenges include unrealistic goals, a lack of comprehensive understanding of the associated difficulties, and the production of unusable prototype products.
Adding to the complexity, Bloomberg’s Mark Gelman reported this month that Apple is encountering obstacles in its endeavor to develop a 5G modem to replace Qualcomm’s existing one in iPhones and other products. Reports suggest that Apple’s development of its modem chips is still in its early stages and might be “years behind competitors.” One version under development lacks support for faster millimeter-wave technology, and issues arise from the integration of code from Intel. Rewriting code and introducing new features pose challenges, and Apple must navigate carefully to avoid infringing on Qualcomm’s patents during chip development.
In response to the circulating news, analyst Dylan Patel swiftly refuted claims of Apple canceling the 5G baseband research and development project. Despite facing challenges and delays in related projects, Patel insisted that the 5G baseband project had not been canceled. He dismissed the statement made by “yeux1122” on the Korean forum as fabricated.
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