Apple’s foray into wireless modems is finally coming to fruition. A new report suggests that the company will introduce its first in-house modem in next spring’s rumored iPhone SE refresh, marking a significant shift away from Qualcomm chips.
The initial modem won’t be as advanced as Qualcomm’s latest offerings and can’t handle higher-frequency 5G spectrum like millimeter-wave technology. However, it should suffice for most users’ daily needs, such as streaming, messaging, and social media sharing.
To avoid repeating past mistakes, Apple is taking a gradual approach by introducing the modem in lower-end devices first. This allows them to test and squash any bugs without risking profitability on their flagship products.
The iPhone 4 “antennagate” incident serves as a cautionary tale for Apple’s wireless endeavors. The phone’s redesigned antenna caused issues when used without a case, leading to a public debacle that was eventually resolved with software updates and free cases.
As the new modem and devices roll out, users shouldn’t have to relive this past failure. Apple has been secretly testing its modem on hundreds of devices and is doing quality assurance testing with carriers worldwide. While higher-end modems are coming in 2026 and 2027, the initial rollout should be manageable for most users.
Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/with-apple-getting-into-modems-it-needs-to-remember-the-iphone-4