The fight between Apple and Qualcomm has been growing so extensively that people were not surprised to find that Apple had used Intel’s LTE chips on the latest iPhone devices. Now, a revelation made by the COO of Apple says that Apple had approached Qualcomm for the chips but the manufacturer refused to offer its services to the Paulo Alto company. Jeff Williams was giving his testimony to the US FTC.
Earlier, it was reported that Apple had shifted to Intel chips due to reasons of competition, which did seem so normal. However, according to Jeff Williams, the plan was to split the entire chip order between Intel and Qualcomm so that both companies can deliver. Because Qualcomm allegedly refused to deliver the service, all the orders were taken care of by Intel itself. Of course, this shift to Intel had costed Apple a lot of things.
For instance, compared to the LTE modems by Qualcomm, the Intel modems are pretty slower. This would have a noticeable impact on the overall performance of the new iPhone devices. Also, if Apple can’t process business with Qualcomm, there will be delay in launching a 5G-powered smartphone. That is because Intel is planning to launch a 5G chip in 2020 only.
As of now, Qualcomm is facing judiciary trial, as the company has been accused of practicing monopoly, the incredibly higher royalty rates and deals to its customers. That is, companies were Apple were offered a lot of deals if they were to shift to Qualcomm chips completely. The company is also charged with refusing to license patents.
While this trial involved Qualcomm and many other companies, the fight between Apple and Qualcomm has been live for around two years. The companies had sued each other for patent infringement and sharing of confidential information. Recently, Intel had succeeded in getting some iPhone devices banned in Germany and China as well.
