TF International Securities’ analyst Ming-Chi Kuo pegs Apple’s 5G iPhone modem launch to happen in 2023, most likely in the latter half of the year with “iPhone 15,” at the earliest.
Bevin Fletcher for Fierce Wireless:
Apple moving to its own in-house 5G components at some point is not an unexpected move, having purchased Intel’s 5G smartphone modem business in 2019.
Given the acquisition, Anshel Sag, senior analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, told Fierce that the 2023 timeline is in the realm of what he would’ve expected Apple to accomplish within a 3-5 year horizon, but believes 2024 is more likely for an Apple modem.
At that point, “5G will be far more commoditized and ubiquitous than it is today, which lowers the bar to entry for a newer entrant like Apple” Sag said via email.
The 2023 timeframe sounds like a good prediction for when Apple could produce its own integrated baseband processor and transceiver, according to IDC Research Director Phil Solis, who focuses on connectivity and smartphone semiconductors, as it sits in the middle of the 2021-2025 window.
Apple’s iPhone 13 is rumored to feature Qualcomm’s X60 5G modem, while the iPhone 12 lineup used the X55.
MacDailyNews Take: The quicker Apple can cut the Qualcomm extortionist out of the supply line, the better!