| Cult of Mac

Apple strikes big deal with Broadcom for US-made 5G components

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Apple struck a multibillion-dollar deal with Broadcom for 5G components made in the US.
Apple struck a multibillion-dollar deal with Broadcom for 5G components made in the US.
Photo: Brad Gibson/Cult of Mac

Apple said Tuesday it struck a “new multiyear, multibillion-dollar agreement” with technology manufacturer Broadcom to develop 5G radio frequency components in the United States.

“We’re thrilled to make commitments that harness the ingenuity, creativity and innovative spirit of American manufacturing,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

“All of Apple’s products depend on technology engineered and built here in the United States, and we’ll continue to deepen our investments in the U.S. economy because we have an unshakable belief in America’s future,” he added.

Apple’s custom 5G iPhone modem could finally launch in 2024

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Apple 5G modem chip
Qualcomm is slowly but surely getting the boot.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple’s drawn-out effort to make its own 5G modem will reportedly begin to bear fruit in 2024. This will replace ones now sourced from Qualcomm.

And the iPhone-maker is also working to produce other wireless chips it currently gets from Broadcom.

Apple staffs up to make its own wireless chips

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An Apple 5G modem might look like this
Apple is hiring experts to design 5G, Wi-FI and Bluetooth chips for its computers.
Artists concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly hiring at a new office in Irvine, California, where the company will make 5G modems and other wireless chips for future devices.

It’s the latest move by Apple to expand the number of critical components for its products that it produces in-house.

Apple makes big cuts to iPhone 13 orders amid chip shortages

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6.1-inch iPhone 13 review
Customers already face lengthy waits for new iPhone 13 orders.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is being forced to cut iPhone 13 orders by as many as 10 million units due to ongoing chip shortages, according to a new report. Cupertino had planned to produce 90 million handsets before the end of the year.

It is now telling partners that the final figure will be lower as partners Broadcom and Texas Instruments — which supply parts related to iPhone’s wireless connectivity and display — struggle to deliver enough components.

Major Apple component maker Broadcom hints at iPhone 12 delay

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iPhone 12 with LiDAR scanner
Another source suggests iPhone buyers shouldn’t get their hopes up for a September iPhone 12 launch.
Photo: svetapple.sk

The CEO of chipmaker Broadcom said on Thursday an unnamed “North American mobile phone customer” won‘t be introducing a “next-generation phone” in the third quarter of this year, as it normally does. The release will occur in the fourth quarter instead.

This statement from Hock Tan is being widely interpreted to mean this iPhone component supplier doesn’t expect the next iOS handset to debut in September, the usual month.

Fixed Wi-Fi chip flaw leaves many Apple devices vulnerable to intrusion

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iPhone XR test
The iPhone XR uses a Wi-Fi chip that's affected by the vulnerability.
Photo: Apple

Security researchers discovered a critical flaw in Wi-Fi chips made by Broadcom and Cypress Semiconductor that were used in Apple devices.

The discovery was presented at the RSA security conference in San Francisco this morning, revealing that billions of devices could have been affected. Attackers could use the vulnerability to decrypt private data sent over the air. Most manufacturers have already released a patch to fix the issue, but it’s unclear how many of the devices have been updated.

The following Apple devices were affected:

Broadcom lands $15 billion deal with Apple to sell it iPhone components

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Broadcom.logo.on.building
Broadcom has multiple chip deals with Apple. Two new ones increase its partnership value to $15 billion.
Photo: Brad Gibson/Cult of Mac

Chipmaker Broadcom has inked two multi-year deals with Apple to sell it some $15 billion in wireless components for its iPhone product line, the company announced in an SEC filing on Thursday.

The announcement did not specify which components Broadcom would provide to the iPhone maker. The deals apply to “Apple products launched during the three and a half year period beginning in January 2020,” the chipmaker said.

Apple might snap up Broadcom’s RF chip business

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Broadcom
Broadcom has been supplying Apple with chips for years.
Photo: Florian Knodt/Flickr

Apple might be in the market to acquire the radio-frequency chip division from one of its biggest parts suppliers.

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Broadcom Inc is working with Credit Suisse to find a possible buyer of its RF wireless-chip unit in an effort to diversify its business and move more toward software. Although the names of companies potentially interested in the division haven’t been named, Apple observers are quickly pointing out that the iPhone-maker scooping it up makes the most sense.

Google, Qualcomm and others cease partnerships with Huawei

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Huawei P20 Pro
It’s just a backup plan for now.
Photo: Huawei

Google has suspended its business with Huawei and revoked its Android license following a U.S. crackdown on Chinese technology companies.

It’s a massive blow for the world’s third-biggest smartphone-maker — and it’s not the only one it received this weekend. Intel, Qualcomm, and other chip manufacturers have also halted their partnerships with the company.