{"id":1847,"date":"2026-08-03T03:18:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T03:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/?p=1847"},"modified":"2026-08-03T03:18:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T03:18:48","slug":"qualcomm-shows-apples-modem-transition-is-almost-complete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/?p=1847","title":{"rendered":"Qualcomm shows Apple\u2019s modem transition is almost complete"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

Apple may be moving faster than expected in its modem development work, and Qualcomm\u2019s latest comments suggest that shift is already reshaping the iPhone supply chain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Qualcomm overnight said supply constraints are shrinking some of its Apple business\u00a0faster than anticipated<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s availability of supply,\u201d CEO\u00a0Cristiano Amon told Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While he wasn\u2019t specific, that likely reflects the\u00a0broader industry shortage<\/a>\u00a0in memory, storage, and everything else and means the company\u2019s share of components used for the next iPhone launch will fall \u201cwell below\u201d its anticipated estimates. Amon says this is part of a transition in which future Qualcomm income will be generated by AI datacenter demand.<\/p>\n

The company also intends to boost modem prices on Sept. 1 (And remember, the patent licensing agreement between Apple and Qualcomm expires in March 2027.)<\/p>\n

Given Apple is selling plenty of smartphones (even as the broader industry shrinks), supply constraints won\u2019t necessarily be because of demand for the devices; this could reflect Apple\u2019s plan to divide the iPhone release schedule across several months, as well as its future modem development efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reports for months have indicated Apple plans to\u00a0introduce new iPhones twice a year<\/a>, with the Pro range updated each fall and entry-level devices scheduled for spring. It\u2019s a move that\u2019s likely to help build more consistent quarterly earnings by spreading demand across different parts of the year and could reduce short-term demand for components. <\/p>\n

Things look a little different this year, of course; the expected introduction of the\u00a0new iPhone Ultra<\/a>\u00a0means Apple will be making three new iPhone models, not the customary four \u2013 though there is also speculation the Ultra may not ship in quantity until later on this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How much does Apple need Qualcomm? Not much<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s also Apple\u2019s own\u00a0modem development plans<\/a>\u00a0to consider. We know Apple\u2019s relationship with Qualcomm isn\u2019t easy. The two firms were engaged in costly litigation before they found a way\u00a0to bury the hatchet<\/a>\u00a0and work together on 5G iPhones while Apple\u00a0developed its C-series modems<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Those C-series modems are already used in Apple devices. The iPhone 16e, 17e and iPhone Air carry Apple\u2019s C1\/C1X modem, with the C2\u00a0variant expected in the 18 Pro series this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s new modem<\/a> is\u00a0expected\u00a0to deliver better battery efficiency, improved cellular network privacy, and AI-supported network efficiency. So, your device should last longer, be less visible to your carrier, and better able to get a connection \u2014 even when connectivity is constrained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Next year\u2019s 18-series devices will certainly stick with Apple\u2019s modems, meaning Qualcomm\u2019s remaining Apple business should be wrapped up in the release this fall.\u00a0As Apple\u2019s modem appears in more devices, you\u2019ll probably only see Qualcomm modems used to provide mmWave support, which realistically has very little traction or carrier support outside America.<\/p>\n

Waiting to replace mmWave<\/strong><\/h2>\n

That view is supported by reports based on information\u00a0recently stolen from Apple\u2019s India-based iPhone partner<\/a>, Tata. It\u00a0claimed\u00a0Apple will use the C2 in internationally sold iPhones Pro and Max, while keeping to Qualcomm in US devices.<\/p>\n

If Apple takes the same approach with next year\u2019s iPhone releases, it would mean only US iPhones \u2014 and probably not all of them \u2014 have mmWave. As a result, Qualcomm\u2019s modems will only be available in a very small subset of iPhones sold. That would almost certainly account for the modem maker\u2019s reduced Apple optimism. (Apple is also part of the 6G standard development group, which implies it hopes to find some way to replace mmWave.)<\/p>\n

It also indicates Apple is less likely to renew its current patent licensing deal, though it could still require some licenses since Qualcomm\u2019s SEPs include some 5G-essential technologies. The other takeaway here: Apple has a\u00a0high degree of confidence in its forthcoming C2 modem<\/a>, which makes sense given how well-received its C1 modem has been.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A clean sweep<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One more thought. It is interesting the extent to which Tim Cook\u2019s Apple seems to be finalizing much of its business before the transition to new CEO John Ternus on Sept. 1. (It is also notable that Qualcomm also intends to raise its prices on the same date.)<\/p>\n

You can follow me on social media! Join me on\u00a0BlueSky<\/a>, \u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>,\u00a0Mastodon<\/a>\u00a0and subscribe to\u00a0The Core<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source: Read the original article on www.computerworld.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Apple may be moving faster than expected in its modem development work, and Qualcomm\u2019s latest comments suggest that shift is already reshaping the iPhone supply chain.\u00a0 Qualcomm overnight said supply constraints are shrinking some of its Apple business\u00a0faster than anticipated. \u201cIt\u2019s availability of supply,\u201d CEO\u00a0Cristiano Amon told Reuters. While he wasn\u2019t specific, that likely reflects […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,3],"tags":[13,29,33],"class_list":["post-1847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-share-suggestions","category-technology","tag-impact-aapl","tag-signal-avoid","tag-stage-stage-4"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futureknowledge.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}