Just when we had thought the legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm will linger for ages, both companies suddenly announced a settlement has been reached. In its Q2 earnings projection, Qualcomm revealed that it will receive at least $4.5 billion from Apple as part of the settlement agreement between the companies. That’s sort of an apology from Apple and it is one expensive apology.
The Apple/Qualcomm settlement was a surprising move that came right off the boat in the dispute between the two tech giants. As indicated by a report from Bloomberg, Apple had concluded that Intel’s modems (which Apple had been solely utilizing in recent times because of its battle with Qualcomm) wouldn’t be prepared in time for a 5G iPhone, driving Apple to agree to release the sum, total of which lies between $4.5 to $4.7 billion to make up with Qualcomm. This sum is for the settlement alone as Apple will still be required to pay royalties for the use of Qualcomm modem in any of its gadgets, going forward.
Concerning Apple, its billions have purchased the organization a six-year worldwide patent agreement with Qualcomm, with a choice to extend it for an additional two years from that point forward. This effectively seals the legal battles with the chipmaker. That is paramount for Apple, given that with Intel’s withdrawal from the 5G modem market for telephones, Qualcomm is basically the only available option until or except if Apple starts producing its own. This seems to be the reason why Apple opted for an out of court settlement as it definitely has the resources to see the case through to its end.
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The sum Apple is doling out as settlement will definitely do nothing to hurt the company considering that Apple is reported to have approximately $225.4 billion of cash available, minus its other assets.
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