When Apple inevitably
releases a 5G iPhone in the next
couple years, Intel will reportedly
have no part in powering its much-faster wireless data speeds.
According to Israeli website CTech by Calcalist, Apple
has canceled all orders for a 5G modem Intel was developing for future
5G-enabled iPhones slated for release in 2020.
Citing internal Intel documents it obtained, the website says
development of the the 5G chip, which was codenamed "Sunny Peak," has
halted, and all product developers have been shifted to other projects within
the company.
Sunny Peak was reportedly a chip that would have combined 5G, LTE,
Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth radios together. Though the website says Apple's decision
to drop the Sunny Peak chip was due to "many factors," one particular
reason was the introduction of a new standard for WiGig, the 802.11ad Wi-Fi
protocol that was first introduced in 2009.
An unnamed Intel executive reportedly said in the internal documents,
"The introduction of a new speedy WiFi standard WiGig (802.11ad) 'into any
mobile product brings new and unanticipated challenges'."
Dropping Intel's 5G chips could seriously hurt the chipmaker's inroads
in the mobile space. The company currently supplies baseband modems for some
iPhones — the GSM models (AT&T and T-Mobile). Qualcomm supplies wireless
modems for iPhones with CDMA radios (Verizon and Sprint).
With Apple and Qualcomm fighting over patent disputes and
rumors Apple might ditch its chips altogether,
Intel was seemingly in a good position to scoop up more iPhone business by
becoming the sole provider of modem chips for future iPhones.
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