Apple’s iPhones are powered by in-house processors. Up until the iPhone 7, they also used Imagination’s PowerVR GPU before switching to their own in-house GPU starting with the iPhone 8. That move put Imagination Technologies out of business as Apple was their primary client. Now Apple’s next move is to ditch third-party modems and develop its own and recent hirings further confirm that plan.
According to Apple Insider, Apple put up a job listing at the beginning of December for a cellular systems architect in San Diego. For those who don’t know, San Diego is the headquarters of Qualcomm, a chip and modem manufacturer that has a few scores to settle with Apple with respect to patent infringement.
The job listing is one of many in the past few years that confirm Apple is developing its own cellular modem that will power its phones. Back in 2014, Apple employed a minimum of 30 employees who had worked for Qualcomm and Broadcom. It also hired a former VP of Qualcomm who now heads their chip department and another executive named Bernd Adler, who worked for Intel’s modem team.
READ MORE: Qualcomm Case: Court barred Apple from importing and selling older iPhones in China
According to the source, Apple’s cellular modem is still a few years from launch, so we shouldn’t expect to see it anytime soon.
(Via)
