Apple designing iPhones, iPads without Qualcomm modems after key testing software withheld
Amidst an international legal fight against Qualcomm, Apple is said to be designing iPhone and iPad models that do without the chipmaker’s modems after it was denied access to software used to test key communications components.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reports Apple is considering building its flagship mobile devices without Qualcomm chipsets, instead opting for cellular modems manufactured by Intel and MediaTek.
Details are murky, but Qualcomm could be to blame for the major iOS device supplier shift. According to the source, Qualcomm stopped sharing hardware testing software with Apple after a lawsuit in January claims the chipmaker uses its “monopoly power” to to squeeze high patent royalties to flout FRAND (fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory) patent commitments.
Qualcomm said its “modem that could be used in the next generation iPhone has already been fully tested and released to Apple,” adding that it is “committed to supporting Apple’s new devices,” the report said.
Apple in its suit characterizes Qualcomm’s business practices as price-gouging and extortion. At the heart of the issue are secret manufacturer licensing agreements. Apple has been forced to pay fees for patents obscured by a legal shroud since 2007, when the first iPhone was released. When Apple selected the Infeneon (now Intel) baseband chip, Qualcomm required a licensing fee. The situation worsened when in 2011 Apple introduced an iPhone capable of connecting to CDMA networks, a technology dominated by Qualcomm chipsets.
Apple later lodged two lawsuits in China over similar complaints.
For its part, Qualcomm denies Apple’s claims and has filed a countersuit claiming breach of contract. The firm has since asked courts to force Apple contract suppliers who stopped paying royalties earlier this year to continue payments.
Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf on multiple occasions has said the feud