The 2019 iPhone 11 is coming in September and whatever people may say, Apple will make it look good; square stove-top camera hump and all. However, the 2020 iPhone 12 seems to be the more alluring option as it will come with revolutionary features that will make it a must-buy handset. And now, out of nowhere, Apple has made its intentions clear that the 202 iPhone is something it will take very seriously as they have recently acquired a major portion of Intel’s chip business and in the process cracked up the excitement level to maximum.
As per an official statement, Apple has recently confirmed the USD 1 billion acquisition of a majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business and it is expected to radically change the upcoming iPhones. As per a report by Reuters, Intel’s head of networking Sandra Rivera stated that its 5G modems would start shipping to customers later on in 2019 with “products in the market” by 2020. It’s worth mentioning that Apple is the sole customer of Intel chips and they have been surprisingly forthcoming with information.
As per a related report by Forbes, Apple’s Senior VP of hardware technologies Johny Srouji has emphasised the alignment with already exists between the two companies and stated it will “help expedite our development on future products and allow Apple to further differentiate moving forward.”
So this means that Apple already owns 5G modems for smartphones which will definitely be ready in 2020 and it gives Apple the opportunity to “‘expedite development on future products’. Apple’s in-house chip manufacturing business is unparalleled. And Forbes states, “It only takes one look at the company’s class-leading A Series chipsets, which consistently outperform Qualcomm’s Snapdragons in both performance and efficiency, to see where this may lead. “
Of course Apple is also playing it smart as in April it inked a modem deal with Qualcomm and thereby relieving pressure on Apple to supply millions of 5G modems that’s required for its 2020 iPhones. If problems arise, Qualcomm can surely handle the demand. If that’s not the case, then Apple can share the supply with Qualcomm and itself after which it will ease its rival out in future generation iPhones.
Forbes states, “Apple’s deal gives the company its favourite thing: autonomy. The same autonomy it craved from Intel and Qualcomm when it made the A-Series chipset and from Google when it created Apple Maps. Conversely, Android rivals are now more reliant on Qualcomm than ever. That’s why Qualcomm is likely to be cheering the Apple/Intel deal: Android phones are now largely at the mercy of one supplier.”
So while the 2019 iPhone line-up may not be the most exciting release in years, it has its roadmap planned out with the impending arrival of its own 5G modems in 2020. Pair this with a radical new display design and its full-screen Touch ID, the 2020 iPhone seems to be a blockbuster in the making.
