Apple To Drop Qualcomm Chips in Future Devices Due To Legal Dispute
The smartphone market is witnessing a boom in competition, as tech giants persistently and determinedly work to garner the attention of the consumers. In doing so, faster and more powerful devices have been developed. In the past few years, Qualcomm's contribution has been exponential as they are known to be the biggest supplier of chip processors in today's smartphones. However, it seems that there is divide between the tech giant and Apple as recent reports have revealed that the smartphone maker is planning to develop devices without any trace of Qualcomm in it.
According to Reuters, Apple has already designed iPhones and iPads that have no need for Qualcomm's chipsets. The report comes a few weeks after their legal dispute escalated to the point where Qualcomm has sought to have Apple's iPhones banned from being distributed in China, the world's largest smartphone market. The sources who revealed Apple's plans also claimed that the company could change course within the period of the devices' development. However, Qualcomm seems to have a different perspective on the matter.
"The Qualcomm modem that could be used in the next generation iPhone has already been fully tested and released to Apple. We are committed to supporting Apple's new devices," said a Qualcomm spokeswoman in a statement, as reported by CNBC.
Despite this claim, the unidentified sources who were familiar with the matter maintain that as of now, Apple's devices, which are set to launch on fall 2018, have dropped Qualcomm's chips. Considering that the upcoming iPhone X and the recently released iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are now equipped with the A11 bionic chip, fans believe that the rumors and speculations may hold some truth in it. Regardless, Apple is expected to divulge more information in the coming months. In the meantime, fans are preoccupied on the upcoming release of the iPhone X, which is slotted for Nov. 3.