iPhone is getting caught up in AT&T’s controversial rebranding of its LTE network as “5G Evolution.” Some developers who installed today’s iOS 12.2 update noticed that their iPhone claims to be connected to a “5G E” network.
All of AT&T’s competitors say that this network is 4G, but that hasn’t stopped the carrier.
Apple wanted to use Qualcomm’s LTE modems in the iPhone XS and iPhone XR this year, but according to Apple COO Jeff Williams, Qualcomm refused to sell Apple its chips due to their current legal disputes.
After using both Intel and Qualcomm modems in the 2017 iPhone lineup, Apple says it planned to use chips from both companies again on the 2018 iPhones. Qualcomm’s refusal to sell Apple chips forced Intel to scramble to make up for the extra production.
Some Android phones already claim they’re connected to a 5G network. This is the result of some fairly shady rebranding on the part of AT&T, which is pretending that improvements to its LTE network make it no longer 4G.
This is raising protests, especially from the other Big 4 wireless carriers.
Qualcomm and Intel could both soon lose out on Apple’s wireless chip business completely.
After switching from Qualcomm modems to Intel modems (and causing a huge legal war in the process), Apple is reportedly looking to build more wireless chips on its own. The company is staffing up in San Diego and based on one job listing, the team is working on a cellular modem chip.
Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon says that, one way or another, the battle between his company and Apple is coming to an end soon.
“We feel like we are probably near the end of this game — we have a lot of legal milestones approaching,” Cristiano Amon told Yahoo Finance. “We see 2019 as having events that will drive resolution one way or another.” Unless an agreement is reached, the two companies are currently set to face off in court in April.
Apple may not be planning to release a 5G iPhone until at least 2020, but don’t expect rival Android handset makers to be willing to hold on for so long.
According to Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon, by this time next year the market is set to be flooded with 5G Android phones. “Every Android vendor is working on 5G right now,” he said.
Anyone hoping for a 5G iPhone in 2019 is going to be sorely disappointed, a new report claims. That’s because Apple is supposedly holding off plans to launch a handset on the ultra-fast 5G network until 2020 at the earliest.
That likely means that rivals like Samsung will be able to win more customers, short term, by rushing to beat Apple to the punch. However, for anyone who has followed Apple for a while, this move is no surprise.
The iPhone is set to get some huge competition from Apple’s biggest rival in 2019.
Samsung is reportedly planning to unleash its biggest phone ever for the 10th anniversary of the Galaxy lineup. If the report is accurate, Samsung’s Galaxy S10 will pack two times as many camera lenses as the iPhone XS Max and come with an even bigger display.
The estimated release date for Intel’s first 5G modem makes it very unlikely a 5G iPhone will be released before 2020. Android devices with this speedy new cellular-wireless technology are expected a year before then.
The 5G iPhone delay is a result of the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm.
Apple is making zero effort to reach a settlement in its wide-ranging legal battle with Qualcomm.
The iPhone-maker used Qualcomm wireless chips in its devices for years, but the two sides recently started butting heads over how much Apple owes in royalties. Qualcomm alleges that Apple should pay it an additional $7 billion and it looks like it will have to go to war for every cent.
Early reviews for the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have already come in and while most of the people that have tested the new device are impresssed, this years models aren’t as big a leap as the iPhone X.
Testers are raving about the camera, A12 processor, big display and faster LTE. The new phones are truly impressive, but if you have an iPhone that came out in the last two years, you might want to see what the experts are saying first.
Anyone eagerly awaiting a 5G iPhone probably should be an AT&T subscriber. This wireless service provider will have mobile 5G service in a dozen cities before any of its rivals have it in even one.
Still, rival Verizon hit a milestone today by making the world’s first 5G NR call from a smartphone-size device.
There’s no doubt Apple will eventually make a 5G iPhone. The high-speed standard was finalized a few months ago, and wireless service providers are building 5G networks.
The next step is for the companies that developed the technology to decide what they’ll charge Apple and other phone makers to license their patents. The total might be more than you expect.
Apple and Qualcomm have been feuding for the past year-and-a-half, but they may make peace in time for the upcoming 5G era.
According to a new report, sources in the supply chain think the companies will patch up their relationship next year, due to the fact that it would be too risky for Apple to bet on 5G smartphone production adopting non-Qualcomm chips. Qulacomm is one of the leaders when it comes to 5G chip technology.
Verizon just reveled that Houston will be the third city getting its super-speedy 5G service before the end of this year. But there’s huge caveat: this is fixed service, only for homes and businesses.
In contrast, AT&T will launch mobile 5G service in six cities this year. This shows how far ahead it is than the competition.
Verizon wants to hook up with either Apple or Google to provide TV services when it launches its super fast 5G service to customers in Los Angeles and Sacramento, a new report claims.
The idea is that packaging Verizon’s 5G online TV with either Google’s YouTube TV or an as-yet-unnanounced Apple TV package would help Verizon to showcase its new service.
AT&T promised to bring the next generation of cellular wireless technology to a dozen cities before the end of this year. It just hasn’t revealed which ones yet.
The carrier started the teasing process a few months ago, announcing that Atlanta, Dallas and Waco, Texas, will get mobile 5G.
Apple appears to be planning to put WiGig in future iPhones. This a version of Wi-Fi that’s more than five times faster than 802.11ac.
An Intel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modem has reportedly been turned down by Apple because it lacked WiGig. This certainly implies that the iPhone maker will go looking for a modem that does include this feature.
Editor’s Note: The original source of this information has retracted it. While Apple has apparently decided to not use Sunny Peak chips, they do not included 5G support. This means Intel could still produce 5G modems for Apple.
Intel has reportedly halted development of its new 5G mobile modem after Apple decided not to place orders for future iPhones.
Intel had hoped to secure a partnership with Apple to supply “Sunny Peak” chips for its 2020 iPhone lineup, but according to internal communications and “people familiar with the matter,” Apple has decided to shop elsewhere.
Apple is considering a new iPhone modem supplier as it looks to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm.
The company is yet to decide whether it will add MediaTek to its supply chain for its next-generation iPhone lineup. But Apple is keen to limit its dealings with Qualcomm after a recent legal spat in which the latter attempted to ban iPhone imports into the United States.
T-Mobile and Sprint promised the FCC today that their proposed merger will lower costs for consumers and create more jobs. They also launched a website laying out the advantages of the New T-Mobile to the general public, including millions of iPhone users.
Combining the third and fourth largest U.S. carriers is a controversial idea. Megamergers typically lead to higher costs for consumers and significant layoffs, not the opposite. It’s up to the two companies to convince the FCC that things will be different this time.
4G LTE will soon be supplanted by something better, stronger, and faster. But before 5G can be rolled out, it had to pass an important hurdle: a final design needed to be agreed apron.
The 3GPP agreed on a standard this week, opening the way to significantly faster browsing and downloads.
A job post shows Apple is hiring an engineer to lead a team designing 5G modems. This may be mean that the company is going to stop outsourcing these wireless chips.
Apple currently sources its LTE modems from Qualcomm, but there have been reports that it’s working with Intel on next-generation modems. Maybe the iPhone maker decided to kick Intel to the curb too.
AT&T has promised to begin rolling out a true next-generation 5G network in a dozen U.S. cities by the end of the year.
The pledge follows international 5G standards being agreed upon last month by 3GPP, the body responsible for developing and governing cellular standards.
Apple is reportedly working closely with Intel on 5G wireless broadband technology for a future iPhone, a new report claims.
The story follows previous claims that Apple is planning to drop Qualcomm chips for new iPhones and iPads which will ship in 2018, and replace them with chips made by Intel instead.
