Apple, one of the biggest mobile phone manufacturers in the globe is all set to launch its premium products iPhones and iPads without Qualcomm components. According to reports, Apple is aiming to design gadgets with only chips from Intel and MediaTek.
The new decision from the mobile manufacturer is reportedly due to the escalating legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm. It was Wallstreet Journal who first reported on Monday that Apple could drop Qualcomm chips on iPhones and iPads.
Escalating legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm
As per close sources to Apple, the change has already been implemented on iPhones which were released in the fall of 2018. Apple officials have not revealed any more details to the media.
The legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm came up when the latter stopped providing some software to test the chips for Apple. Soon, Apple filed an initial lawsuit, and now both the companies are locked in a multinational legal dispute over the Qualcomm's licensing terms and conditions with Apple.
In the midst of these controversies, a Qualcomm spokesperson told Reuters that they are providing fully tested chips for Apple. "We are committed to supporting Apple's new devices consistent with our support of all others in the industry," said Qualcomm in a statement.
A shocking move from Apple
Many industry experts are now saying that the move from Apple to abandon Qualcomm components was totally unexpected. Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon revealed that nobody expected such a strong and arm-twisting move from Apple.
Qualcomm has been supplying components to Apple for more than a decade. But in the recent years, Intel has started supplying modem chips to Apple. Recently, Intel has also purchased a company which will help the company to supply components for Apple in the absence of Qualcomm.
Industry experts are still not clear whether Apple will completely abandon Qualcomm by next year. Some people believe that Apple will adopt multiple contingency plans to meet their production needs.
"Apple is big enough that if they want to support multiple paths, they can do that. Samsung did this too. A couple of years ago, Samsung designed Qualcomm out, but Qualcomm didn't even know until it was close to time to ship," Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon told Reuters.
