Apple is reportedly planning to use chips from Intel as modem chips in some versions it next-generation iPhone model, Bloomberg reports. The Intel chips will replace the Qualcomm chips that have traditionally been used in prior iPhone models for GSM versions of the iPhone used on the U.S. AT&T network and some overseas markets, according to people familiar with the matter. Verizon iPhones will apparently continue to use Qualcomm chips for their CDMA network, as will iPhones sold in China.
While the move has been suggested as a way for Apple to diversify its supplier base, it also raises the question as to how Apple will choose to differentiate LTE bands and other cellular communications hardware in the next model. Prior to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple traditionally offered separate GSM and CDMA iPhone models, while the pairs of iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models released outside of China differed only in their support for LTE Band 30, available primarily as a less-saturated LTE band for U.S. users of the AT&T network and its affiliates.
