Qualcomm today dropped some info on Apple's new iPhone in its quarterly earnings calls.
Apple will rely exclusively on Intel modems for its next generation iPhone models, according to Qualcomm. "We believe Apple intends to solely use our competitors’ modems, rather than our modems in its next iPhone release," Qualcomm CFO George Davis said today. "We will continue to provide modems for Apple legacy devices."
Qualcomm has long provided modems for Apple's iPhone devices, and for a while its modems were the only ones in iPhones. That's changed in recent years, though, as Apple started using Intel modems in select iPhone models. Now it sounds like Apple will be going all-in with Intel modems in its upcoming iPhone hardware.
Even if Apple does skip Qualcomm's modems for its new iPhones, Qualcomm says that it would happily begin providing Apple with modems in the future. "If the opportunity presents itself, I think we will be a supplier of Apple," said Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon.
Qualcomm didn't give any reasons as to why it believes Apple will exclusively use Intel modems in its new iPhone models. The move likely has to due with the ongoing litigation between the two companies, though. Last year, Apple sued Qualcomm for $1 billion, alleging that Qualcomm used its position as a maker of important cellphone chips to ask for "onerous, unreasonable, and costly" patent licensing terms. Qualcomm then said that it would try to ban imports of select iPhone and iPad models, claiming that Apple infringed on six Qualcomm patents.