aminy23 t1_j3rkahn wrote
Reply to comment by Just_Exam_590 in Apple is reportedly making an all-in-one cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth chip. by SUPRVLLAN
I would wager that's patent expiry and not a technical hurdle.
Microsoft bought Nokia for cellular patents then spun the brand off.
Google bought Motorola for cellular patents then sold the brand to Lenovo.
Qualcomm and Broadcom are the other big cellular innovators.
Apple negotiated a percentage royalty with Qualcomm.
When the iPhone was $300, the royalties were cheap.
When the iPhone became $1,000+, the royalties tripled and Apple didn't want to pay up.
If Apple buys another cellular company, it would be detrimental to their brand image as they want to present as innovators creating their own phone. No flipping a Siemens, Ericsson, Nokia, or Motorola device as their own.
Even though they rely heavily of Foxconn, Samsung, Qualcomm, Arm, and TSMC for almost everything.
And even with software, iOS is derived from BSD.
Just_Exam_590 t1_j3rq7h0 wrote
They purchased their 5G business from Intel a few years ago. Many companies have Wifi patents. I think the hurdles are technical. They tried using their own 5G modem but it wasn't even close to as good as Qualcomm's.
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