5G - page 6

2019 iPhone to bring tougher glass, even better Face ID

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iPhone 11 R and 11 Max on fence post
These iPhone 11 dummies should be a lot like the real thing.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

This year’s iPhone refresh will introduce new “shatter-resistance technology” and even better Face ID, according to a new report.

It is claimed users will be able to unlock Apple’s next-generation handsets from multiple angles — like when they’re lying flat on a table — thanks to a new Face ID sensor with a wider field of view.

Apple could introduce cellular 5G MacBooks in 2020

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MacBook butterfly keyboard
Would you be excited about a possible cellular MacBook?
Photo: Apple

iPhones may not be the only 5G-enabled product Apple introduces next year. According to a new report, Apple is planning its first ever cellular MacBooks for launch during the second half of 2020.

The cellular laptops will use the super speedy new mobile connectivity standard. They will supposedly use a ceramic, rather than metal, antenna component to improve reception and transmission performance.

Intel CEO explains why it sold its 5G modem business to Apple

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Intel CEO Bob Swan
Intel CEO Bob Swan.
Photo: Intel

Intel CEO Bob Swan has shed a bit more light on the deal in which Apple spent $1 billion buying Intel’s modem business.

Speaking with CNBC, Swan said the company decided to sell its 5G mobile modem business because selling modems to Apple only would not have provided big enough returns. Intel was due to produce Apple’s 5G modems before Apple patched things up with Qualcomm.

Verizon’s super-fast 5G expands to four more cities

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Verizon 5G MiFi M1000 Hotspot
You can use Verizon’s 5G hotspot in lots more places starting today.
Photo: Verizon

The number of people who can access Verizon’s 5G network takes a big jump today. The carrier just launched service in parts of Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis and Washington, DC.

The carrier has a 5G hotspot for anyone who wants to speed up the connection of their Mac or iPad.

2020 iPhones may pack 3D laser camera

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The camera bump is about to get bumpier in the iPhone XI.
The camera bump is about to get bumpier in the iPhone XI.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The iPhone’s augmented reality capabilities are about to ramp up to an all-new level, thanks to camera sensors that can tell how far away objects are.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors in a new research note that Apple is readying cameras with time-of-flight sensors. Adding the new ToF sensors should give the iPhone better computer vision. They could help take better pics, too.

Apple buys Intel’s phone modem business in $1 billion deal

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This Intel modem will likely power the first 5G iPhone.
This modem may soon bear the Apple name.
Photo: Intel

Apple will pay $1 billion to acquire Intel’s smartphone modem business in a deal that was announced by the two companies this afternoon..

Apple will absorb patents, equipment and about 2,200 Intel employees if the deal meets regulatory approval. The two companies hope to close the deal by the end of the year.

Why Intel wants out of modem biz (and Apple wants in)

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Intel CEO Bob Swan
Intel CEO admits there just weren’t enough companies interested in Intel phone modems.
Photo: Intel

Intel CEO Bob Swan says his company decided to bail out off the phone modem business because these products had too few customers to make much money.

Apple is the primary buyer of Intel modems, and the iPhone maker is now reportedly going to acquire Intel’s related patents as it prepares to make its own 5G modems.

Apple might drop $1 billion on Intel’s modem biz

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This Intel modem will likely power the first 5G iPhone.
One of Intel's first 5G modems.
Photo: Intel

Apple could soon become the new owner of Intel’s giant trove of modem-related patents according to a new report on the two sides’ negotiation.

Intel decided to get out of the 5G modem game earlier this year after Apple struck a deal to use Qualcomm’s modems for the next couple of years. It appears that Intel’s loss could be a big win for Apple’s own efforts to become less dependent on third-parties for iPhone chips.

5G could make Apple a $1 trillion business again

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money
Judging from this reaction, the 5G iPhone will be a big one.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple won’t get 5G iPhones until next year, but already it’s causing investment analysts to geek out on the hype.

In a new note to clients, an analyst for investment banking firm Raymond James raises the firm’s price estimate on Apple due to the next-gen connectivity technology. That’s despite the fact that he thinks this year’s iPhone refresh will be a disappointment.

Most Americans are excited about 5G

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
There’s pent-up demand for a 5G iPhone.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A large percentage of Americans are happy that 4G wireless networks are being supplanted by faster 5G ones, according to a recent survey by a respected market-research firm. And a majority of US consumers are very interested in getting a phone that supports these speedier networks.

No, 5G won’t give you brain cancer

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Stingrays mimic cell towers, and are used by both criminals and police.
Don’t believe the bad science telling you cell towers give you cancer.
Photo: Miguel Á. Padriñán/Pexels

People warning of horrible health effects of 5G wireless networks aren’t hard to find. But it turns out their claims are based on a mistake made by a scientist decades ago.

Still, this claim lives on — and is even being spread by Russian trolls.

Real-world 5G is 2.7x faster than 4G

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
The US is well ahead of the rest of the world in 5G speeds.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple fans might be underwhelmed by 5G because they’ll have to wait another year for an iPhone with this replacement for LTE, but there’s a lot to look forward to. A new study of finds that users can expect the new technology to bring download speeds that are 2.7 times faster than 4G.

Microsoft plans dual-screen Surface tablet with Android apps

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Microsoft-Surface
It will look very different to a standard Surface tablet.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft is rumored to be working on a new dual-screen Surface tablet that will run Android apps.

The slate, which is codenamed Centaurus, will reportedly pack two 9-inch displays that fold together like a book. Supply chain sources expect it to launch in the first quarter or first half of 2020.

Expect multiple 5G iPhones in 2020

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple may be waiting a bit longer than some of its rivals to go 5G, but it will reportedly jump into this cutting-edge networking standard in a big way next year. There will be two 5G iPhone models introduced in 2020, according to a respected analyst.

Apple looking to snap up a piece of Intel’s smartphone modem business

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intel
Intel has plenty of modem-making expertise.
Photo: Thomas Hawk/Flickr

Intel is reportedly looking to sell its struggling smartphone modem business in several pieces — and Apple could be one of the buyers.

According to a new report, Apple has designs on acquiring Intel’s German modem business. This is one of the most sought-after pieces, and would give Apple a big boost in potentially developing its own 5G modems.

FTC wins its antitrust case against Qualcomm

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Qualcomm patents
Case could make 5G landscape more competitive.
Photo: Qualcomm

Qualcomm emerged victorious from its recent battle with Apple. But things look a whole lot less rosy for the company in its antitrust case with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Judge Lucy Koh this week filed her ruling in the FTC’s first round of litigation against Qualcomm. She concluded that Qualcomm has been engaging in anticompetitive business practices.

Early test shows the promise and perils of 5G

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5G
The first 5G devices are wicked fast, but not very practical yet.
Photo: Samsung

The first steps of the move from 4G LTE to 5G NR are underway. And tests with one of the first two handsets capable of connecting to Verizon’s version of this faster network show 5G offers amazing speeds but very, very limited range.

First 5G modem made by Apple won’t arrive until 2025

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This Intel modem will likely power the first 5G iPhone.
Intel pulled the plug on its 5G modems.
Photo: Intel

Apple’s custom-built smartphone modems likely won’t make their way into iPhones and iPads until 2025 at the earliest, according to a new report from The Information.

Intel’s strained relationship with Apple is on full display in the beefy report that reveals Apple had problems with Intel long before 5G modems became an issue. Back in early 2017, Intel struggled to supply Apple with an LTE modem destined for the 2018 iPhone lineup. Despite overhauling the modem four times, Intel nearly missed the deadline.

Antitrust regulator hasn’t decided whether to approve T-Mobile and Sprint merger

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t-mobile
Date for completing the deal has been pushed back three months.
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile and Sprint have pushed back the date for completing their proposed controversial merger to July 29. The reason? Because the U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division chief says that he has not yet decided whether or not to approve the deal.

Previously, the deal was supposed to be completed this week. If it takes place, it will combine the no. 3 and no. 4 wireless providers in the United States.

VP helping lead the charge for a 5G iPhone departs company

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
A veteran Apple VP who was a big proponent for a 5G iPhone is leaving.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Apple vice president in charge of sourcing 4G and 5G iPhone modems has left. The departure of Rubén Caballero comes as this part of Apple’s business is in transition, with Qualcomm once again available to provide these vital components.

It seems developing a 5G iPhone is going to continue to be more difficult than one might expect.

2019 iPhone will have Intel 4G modems inside

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intel
Intel will supposedly supply a vital component for the iPhone 11.
Photo: Thomas Hawk/Flickr

Details about the 2019 iPhone models are starting to trickle out. Intel CEO seems to have said today that his company will be supplying 4G modems for this device.

Bob Swan’s comment is deliberately oblique, but at least one expert has taken it as an indication that Apple isn’t ready to fully switch to Qualcomm modems in its iPhones.

iPad Pro unlikely to get 5G until 2021

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2018 iPad Pro
5G on the iPad Pro would be amazing
Photo: Apple

Apple is reportedly planning to lay the foundation for 5G on the iPad Pro by using Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) soft boards for the first time ever.

According to one of the most reliable Apple analysts in the game, the new LCP soft boards will allow for better wireless connectivity in the iPad Pro, but 5G modems probably won’t make it into the iPad Pro until 2021.