TECH NEWS – Apple is reportedly working on a chip capable of cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity.

Bloomberg has reported that Apple is looking to develop a new 5G modem in-house to rely less on Qualcomm. The same is true of Broadcom: from them, Apple is using chips for radio frequency (phone) and wireless charging. The tech company wants to do it all in one package, preferably created in-house.

Qualcomm is supposed to make 5G modems for the iPhone 15 and 16 product line, and rumors suggest that Apple’s in-house product won’t be ready until 2025. According to Bloomberg, Apple is already working on a Wi-Fi solution so Broadcom could become redundant just like Qualcomm. The switch to its in-house 5G chips could be due as early as 2024, so the company could drop Broadcom first, and the break with Qualcomm could be in 2025, as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled chips could be in place by then. Apple has a 3.5-year agreement with Broadcomm, which could expire in a few months; while there will be custom chips to meet the needs of cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, Apple is thinking ahead and already focused on the future.

The company wants to develop its own because the iPhone’s logic circuit would need one place instead of three, saving space and making it more energy efficient so Apple can stretch its software. Of course, all-in-one connectivity will require the right pace of process development, and it’s not easy to develop an internally created 5G modem or chip that can do both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. These require different frequencies, which could lead to further complications in development.

In short, Apple’s task will not be easy. Sure, they have the time to work on the chip now, but it will take time to get it right. They are now racing against time, and we will see who wins this battle.

Source: WCCFTech