Foxconn Expected to Assemble Bulk of 2018 iPhones

Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn will assemble the majority of Apple’s widely rumored trio of new iPhones expected to launch in 2018, according to the Taipei Times, citing research from Fubon Securities.

Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai, will reportedly assemble all of the second-generation iPhone X, 90 percent of the so-called iPhone X Plus, and 75 percent of an all-new, lower-priced 6.1-inch iPhone.

Taiwanese manufacturer Pegatron is said to fulfill the remaining orders:

Hon Hai has been selected to assemble the bulk of the new iPhones, including all of the premium 5.8-inch OLED model and 90 percent of the 6.5-inch OLED phones, as well as 75 percent of the 6.1-inch LCD model, with the remainder given to Pegatron, the report said.

Wistron, another Taiwanese manufacturer, will not assemble any of the new 2018 iPhones, according to the report.

Fubon Securities predicts that the 6.1-inch iPhone will be priced around $799 in the United States, and use nearly all of the same materials as the iPhone 8 Plus, at an estimated cost of $275 to Apple.

Last month, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said all three new iPhones will be both announced and made available to order this September. In a previous research note, he indicated that Apple has resolved the manufacturing challenges that resulted in the iPhone X’s delayed launch and supply shortage.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTags: Foxconn, Wistron, Pegatron
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Ming-Chi Kuo Says 2018 iPhone Lineup Will Have New Colors, Including Gold, Red, Blue, and Orange

Apple is widely rumored to release a trio of new iPhones in 2018, including a second-generation iPhone X, a larger 6.5-inch version dubbed the iPhone X Plus, and an all-new 6.1-inch model with some iPhone X features, but not all, at a lower price point of around $600 to $700 in the United States.

While the current iPhone X is limited to Space Gray and Silver, well-connected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes at least two of the new iPhone models in the 2018 lineup will be available in additional colors.

In a research note with TF Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said the second-generation iPhone X will be available in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray, while the 6.1-inch model is said to come in a wide array of colors, including red, blue, orange, gray, and white.

An excerpt from the note:

We expect the demands for the new 6.5″ OLED iPhone will be better than iPhone X because of similar or lower price but with larger display, dual-sim dual-standby (DSDS), and three possible casing colors (black, white and gold).

The new 6.1″ LCD iPhone is expected to boost better-replacement demands than iPhone 8/8s did due to being equipped with full-screen, Face ID, selling price lower than $700 USD, DSDS and five possible casing colors (grey, white, blue, red, and orange).

The current iPhone X was already expected to come in gold, but Kuo previously said Apple faced manufacturing challenges with the color, likely related to difficulties anodizing the stainless steel frame to be gold.

We know that Apple did at least prototype a gold iPhone X, as seen in regulatory photos it was required to submit to the FCC prior to the device launching last year. The photos were filed in September 2017, but weren’t visible until April 2018, when Apple’s confidentiality period expired.

It’s reasonable to assume that Apple has figured out how to mass produce the iPhone X in gold, so there is little reason to doubt this rumor.

In terms of the lower-priced 6.1-inch iPhone, it also makes sense that it could be available in a rainbow of colors like one of its lower-priced siblings of the past, the plastic-backed iPhone 5c. The red finish would likely be part of the (PRODUCT)RED initiative supporting the elimination of HIV/AIDS.

Kuo has a respectable track record in terms of outlining Apple’s future plans. This is his third Apple-focused research note with TF Securities, where he began working earlier this year after a long stint at KGI Securities.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTags: Ming-Chi Kuo, TF International Securities
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CanguRo the transforming robot wants to take you places and be your buddy

CanguRo takes its name from the Italian word for kangaroo, but this particular robot prefers to roll than hop.

Unveiled this week in Japan, the three-wheeler is part autonomous assistant and part self-driving mobility vehicle.

It’s the creation of Shunji Yamanaka from the University of Tokyo and Takayuki Furuta of the Future Robotics Technology Center (fuRo) at Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan Trends reports.

As an assistant, CanguRo can follow you around, carrying heavy loads such as shopping to your home. But if your legs get tired and you’d prefer not to walk, a tap on the accompanying app will prompt the robot to quickly transform into a mobility vehicle that’ll transport you to your destination at a gentle speed of 6.2 mph (10 kmh).

Although it can drive autonomously using mapping and positioning data as well as image recognition technology, manual control is also possible, with the rider able to control the speed with a throttle, and the direction by leaning left or right. While in manual mode, a smart-stop feature will take over if a hazard is detected up ahead.

“With this machine, we aim to realize a complete fusion of robot technology and mobility,” Furuta told the Japan Times at the unveiling event this week.

CanguRo is still being developed — the team is currently working on giving it speech capabilities to offer the user a much more personal experience. Indeed, judging by the kind of friendly looks CanguRo receives from the lad in the video (above), turning the machine into a kind of robot buddy appears central to future development work.

The video shows CanguRo tootling along with the guy, who then hops on for a leisurely ride to nowhere in particular. Next, he tries out its autonomous mode by using the app to send it by itself to another location a short distance away. The video ends with the guy riding CanguRo in a sports hall filled with lots of bouncing basketballs. No, we’re not sure what that has to do with a mobility vehicle, either.

A growing number of companies are looking into the idea of developing small robot transporters, with Honda, for example, recently unveiling several concept designs. Among them is the awkwardly named 3E-B18, a single-seat mobility vehicle for casual use in indoor or outdoor spaces, while the 3E-C18 (it doesn’t get any better, does it) is a small-sized, wheel-based electric machine that also includes a small cargo space.

If you like the look of CanguRo and you happen to be in Los Angeles over the summer, you’ll be able to catch it in action at Japan House, an exhibition center showcasing Japanese products and culture.

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Watch as the U.K.’s defense secretary gets ‘heckled’ by Siri during a speech

Apple’s digital assistant left a leading member of the U.K. government red-faced on Tuesday after it unexpectedly piped up during a speech he was giving to lawmakers in the British parliament.

Perhaps a little too keen to offer help, Siri interrupted a statement that defense secretary Gavin Williamson was giving to the House of Commons about the situation in Syria.

Evidently keeping his phone in always-listening mode, Apple’s digital assistant should really only have responded upon hearing “Hey, Siri.” But, with his iPhone in his pocket, it seems the word “Syria” prompted the assistant to spring into action.

As Williamson addressed lawmakers, Siri got back to the defense secretary with its findings, with the response picked up by the Commons’ microphones: “I found something on the web for Syria, Syrian Democratic Forces supported by coalition … ”

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson ‘heckled’ by Siri at the despatch box https://t.co/CQlxXm5KAa pic.twitter.com/RFHDK91lL1

— ITV News (@itvnews) July 3, 2018

Speaker John Bercow was quick to respond, describing the unusual happening as a “very rum business” (an archaic term for “odd”) as the defense secretary scrambled to switch off his iPhone.

“I do apologize for that,” a sheepish-looking Williamson said, adding, “It is very rare that you are heckled by your own mobile phone.”

He then asked the Speaker if could proceed, “without the help and support of Siri.”

Williamson later tweeted that the gaff was “one of the pitfalls of having a new iPhone … I must ask my 13-year-old daughter how to use it!”

But some people questioned whether it was wise for a defense secretary to be going around with a phone that had voice recognition software switched on all the time.

A source close to Williamson later insisted that having Siri switched on did not pose a security risk, adding that defense secretary did not take the phone into confidential or sensitive meetings.

A similar though more serious incident occurred in May when Amazon’s Alexa assistant mistakenly recorded a couple’s private conversation and sent it to someone on their contact list.

Always listening?

In a piece about whether our smartphones are indeed listening to us the all of the time, Digital Trends’ Simon Hill points out how “the internet is rife with anecdotal stories about digital eavesdropping,” noting that “many people feel that conversations they’ve had within earshot of their phones have been used to tailor advertising.”

Both Apple and Google keep recordings of users’ conversations with their respective digital assistants, though Apple deletes files after two years and says it only uses them to improve the product.

To see your Google history, log in to your account and type history.google.com/history into your browser’s address bar. You’ll see all of your activity on Google’s various services, among them Chrome, Search, and YouTube. Tap Filter by date & product at the top, choose Voice & Audio, and select Search. Any voice searches you’ve made on Google will be listed, and you can even play them back.

Want to prevent your phone from always listening for the keyword — whether “OK Google” or “Hey Siri” — that activates its assistant? On Android, go to Settings > Google > Search & Now > Voice and turn off “OK Google” detection. For iPhone, go to Settings > Siri & Search and toggle “Listen for Hey Siri” to off.

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What is dual 4G LTE, and why should you care?

Dual 4G LTE lets you use two 4G connections on your phone.

Dual SIM connectivity is a must-have in Asian markets, particularly India, where cellular plans are extremely affordable. The arrival of Jio has catalyzed the market like never before, with the entire industry reducing rates to stay competitive. For instance, my Airtel plan currently costs ₹499 ($7.30) for three months, and I get 2GB of 4G data per day, unlimited calls, and 100 texts a day. That comes out to ₹166 per month ($2.4) for 60GB of 4G data.

Jio is just as affordable, with the carrier offering 1.5GB of 4G data per day, 100 daily texts, and unlimited calls for 3 months at just ₹449 ($6.55). The carrier also includes free subscription to its slate of digital content services with each plan.

I used cellular plans as the preface of this story as it gives context into the current state of the Indian telecommunications sector, and it also allows me to segue into the crux of the post: dual SIM connectivity.

With the country offering some of the lowest cellular data rates anywhere in the world, dual SIM usage has skyrocketed over the course of the last year, particularly following the launch of Jio. The carrier gave away free data for the first six months of operation in a bid to attract customers, and the strategy worked: Jio now has over 190 million subscribers, and is the world’s largest data network.

Dual 4G LTE enables 4G connectivity on both SIM cards.

Until last year, most phones that came with dual SIM card slots offered 4G connectivity on just one SIM card, with the secondary defaulting to either 3G or 2G speeds. But that wouldn’t work with Jio, as the carrier doesn’t have any 3G or 2G spectrum, solely relying on 4G connectivity.

Therefore, chip makers like Qualcomm and MediaTek demoed dual 4G LTE last year, and the feature is now a mainstay on phones sold in 2018. As the name suggests, dual 4G LTE enables 4G connectivity on both SIM cards, allowing you to switch between two 4G networks seamlessly.

Dual 4G VoLTE is a subset of the feature, and it allows you to make HD calls from either SIM. So if you have two SIM cards and both facilitate VoLTE, you can choose from either carrier before making a call. Dual 4G LTE relies on Dual SIM Dual Standby, which uses a single transceiver but lets both SIMs be active, facilitating better battery life.

Which phones have dual 4G LTE?

Most phones launched in 2018 offer dual 4G LTE as standard, with Qualcomm baking the feature into its current-gen Snapdragon 600 series and above — the Snapdragon 636, 660, 835, and 845 all offer the feature. MediaTek likewise offers dual 4G LTE in the Helio P60, and HiSilicon’s Kirin 970 also supports the feature, as does Samsung’s latest-gen Exynos chipsets.

Phones running any of the chipsets mentioned above can leverage dual 4G LTE, but here’s a quick list of some of the more popular models available in the market today:

• OnePlus 6
• Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+
• Nokia 7 Plus
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
• ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1
• Honor 10
• Huawei P20 Pro
• Honor View 10
• OPPO F7
• OPPO Realme 1

Samsung and Nokia retroactively enabled the feature via an OTA update on the Galaxy S9 and the Nokia 7 Plus, but that only works in a scenario where the chipset supports dual 4G LTE. So it isn’t possible to roll out the feature to an older phone unless it meets the requisite hardware needs.

Best Dual-SIM Android Phones in 2018

Google Assistant: Everything you need to know

There’s a lot going on with the Google Assistant — let’s break down the important stuff.

In May 2016, we got our very first taste of the Google Assistant with the debut of Allo. The Assistant was a big draw to Allo at the time, with Google marketing it as a helpful bot that could make restaurant reservations, search the web, and more within your conversations.

Since then, the Assistant has gained heaps of new features and expanded to smartphones, tablets, speakers, and more. Google’s shown no interest in slowing down development for the Assistant, meaning that it’s likely here for the long-haul.

Whether this is your first encounter with it or you just need a quick refresher, here’s everything you need to know about the Google Assistant.

June 26, 2018 — All Google Home speakers now support Spanish

While users have been able to talk to Assistant in Spanish on their phones, we’re just now getting the ability to do the same on Google Home speakers.

Now, users in the United States, Spain, Mexico and other countries can choose to speak to Google Assistant in Spanish. If you want to change what language Google Home uses, open the Home app on your phone. The tap Settings -> Preferences -> Español.

All Google Home Speakers now support Spanish

June 12, 2018 — Google Home can now handle up to three commands at once

It can get old trying to ask multiple questions to our smart speakers — “What’s the weather” and “How’s my schedule” — but nowGoogle Home can understand up to three commands. Now, you can get your calendar, find out the weather and start playing music by only saying “Okay Google” once.

Another new feature is support for Multiple Actions. So now, instead of asking, “What’s the weather in New York and the weather in San Francisco?”, you can ask, “What’s the weather in New York and San Francisco?” This is a subtle change, but it makes conversing with Google Assistant much more like conversing with a human.

Google Home can now handle up to three commands at once

May 9, 2018 — Google announced a heap of new features at I/O

To little surprise, the Google Assistant was the star of the show for a good chunk of I/O’s opening keynote this year.

A lot of new features were announced for the Assistant, including new voices, the ability to ask follow-up questions without having to say “Hey, Google” each time, and an option for making your own custom Routines.

However, the most exciting thing was a system called Google Duplex. With this, the Assistant can call businesses and make appointments/reservations on your behalf. It’s wickedly cool and definitely one of the wildest things to come out of this year’s conference.

What’s new in Google Home and Assistant at Google I/O 2018

Google Now paved the way for Google Assistant

The Google Now page compared to the new Google Feed.

Before there was the Google Assistant, we had Google Now. Google Now was introduced to the world all the way back in 2012, offering contextual info through the Google Now page and helpful answers to random questions with an “OK Google” voice command.

A lot of what made Google Now so great can still be found in the Google Assistant today, with the exception of the Google Now page. The Google Now page used to be home to cards showcasing the weather, information on packages that had shipped from online orders, boarding passes, and more. It’s since been replaced by the Google Feed – a collection of news stories Google thinks you’ll be interested in – and it’s definitely the biggest departure between the two services.

The Google Assistant as a whole is still more powerful than Google Now ever was, but long-time Android users like myself are still mourning the loss of that Now page. RIP, old friend.

Read more: Google Now is being left to wither and die as Google Assistant takes the focus

It’s available on just about everything

In just a few short years, the Google Assistant’s gone from being exclusive to a now-failed chat app to being integrated into just about anything you can think of.

You’ll find Google Assistant built right into most Android phones, it’s the star of the show for the Google Home lineup, and it’s even making its way into sound bars.

Here’s the full list of devices with Google Assistant

Setting up the Google Assistant is as easy or complex as you want

When you set up a device for the first time that has the Assistant, getting started is pretty simple. Accessing it is just a voice command or tap away depending on what gadget you’re using, but if you want to really fine-tune your experience, Google’s got you covered.

Take a quick dive into your Assistant settings and you’ll find options for just about everything – including your weather preferences, changing the Assistant’s voice, retraining your voice model, picking out preferred news sources, and much more.

How to set up and customize Google Assistant

Google Assistant is available in multiple regions and languages

Of course, a smart voice assistant isn’t any good if you can’t actually use it. Fortunately, Google Assistant will be available in 52 countries —adding 38 countries this year — and 17 languages by the end of 2018.

More: Google Assistant will expand to 38 countries and 17 languages in 2018

Google Home’s the premier way to get the Assistant in your house (at least for now)

It’s great to have the Google Assistant on your phone, but if you want to truly experience just how helpful it can be, you’ll want to consider picking up a Google Home.

Google Home is Google’s line of smart speakers that put the Assistant on full-display, allowing you to control smart devices, ask random questions, set timers, play music, and more by just using your voice.

You can spend as little as $49 for the Google Home Mini, $129 for the original Google Home, or a whopping $399 for the Google Home Max.

However, as great as the Home series is, don’t forget that Smart Displays are just on the horizon.

Announced at CES 2018, Smart Displays are essentially smart speakers with the Google Assistant and a touch screen display that can show you helpful visuals when talking to them. It’s basically Google’s answer to the Amazon Echo Show and Echo Spot, and we can’t wait to see more from them.

Everything you need to know about Google’s Home speakers

Then again, is an always-listening speaker the right fit for your home?

However, the convenience of a Google Home (or any smart speaker for that matter) does come at the cost of privacy. Speakers like the Google Home are “always listening”, meaning they’re constantly on the lookout for a hot word to know when you’re talking to it (such as “Ok, Google” and “Hey, Google”).

This means the microphone on a Google Home is always active, but it’s not necessarily storing all the audio it hears when it doesn’t detect its hot word.

Most all speakers allow you to restore some privacy by being able to mute the microphone, but if you want to start asking the Assistant questions, you’ll need to unmute it first.

To learn more about these “always listening” speakers, I’ll pass the mic over to Jerry

Big upgrades are coming to the Assistant on Wear OS

Switching gears for a second, the Google Assistant on Wear OS (formerly Android Wear) is about to get a big upgrade.

In the near future, the Assistant on Wear OS will support Assistant Actions (basically apps for the Assistant) and give you the option to hear its responses through your watch’s speaker or a pair of connected Bluetooth headphones.

Along with this, Google will be adding something called “smart suggestions.” After asking the Assistant for the weather, for example, you’ll see little bubbles for “weather tonight”, “use celsius”, and more so you can continue the conversation with just the tap of your finger. Google Assistant on Android offers something similar, and it’s a great tool to have.

IFTTT supercharges the Assistant’s usefulness

IFTTT (If This Then That) is a powerful online tool that allows you trigger something (that) if a certain event (this) happens. You can connect IFTTT to the Google Assistant to create your own recipes using this formula, and it can allow for some incredibly helpful combinations.

Some of our favorite uses for IFTTT and the Assistant include adding contacts to your Google account, setting your Google Calendar status to Busy for a certain period of time, and much, much more.

Getting started with IFTTT can take some time and patience if you’re new to it, but once you’re all set up and ready to go, it can prove to be a lifesaver.

How to connect Google Home and IFTTT to do amazing things with your connected tech

You’ll get the same experience no matter what devices you use

With so many devices capable of running the Assistant, it’d be easy to think that the experience you get on one gadget would be different from another. This is something that Google struggled with for a while at first, but we’re finally in a position where the Assistant experience you get on a smart speaker, for example, is the same you’ll get on your phone.

There are a handful of features here and there that still create for some discrepency, but for the most part, the Assistant you use on your Pixel 2 is the same one found on Google Home.

Google Home and Google Assistant finally offer the same experience

Google Duplex is actually going to be a thing

Google showed off Duplex — Google Assistant making natural-sounding phone calls on your behalf — at I/O 2018, but quickly noted that it was just an experiment. Flash forward a couple months, and Google announced that certain users have started testing Duplex, and a public release will be here in the next few months. Before you know it, Google Assistant will be able to book hotels, dinner reservations, hair appointments and more without you lifting a finger.

More: What is Google Duplex?

Updated July 2018: Added the Google Duplex and language support sections, as well as links to recent Assistant news.

Treat your computer to one of SanDisk’s SSD Plus drives for as low as $35

Experience the speed for yourself.

Amazon has a few different SanDisk SSD Plus internal solid-state drives on sale with prices starting at just $34.99. Several of these price drops bring this popular drive down to a new low for the storage capacity, meaning you won’t want to miss out. The 120GB variant is currently down to $34.99 from an average price of closer to $52, and the 240GB option is available for $53.99 from an regular price of $72. If you can spare the extra $19, it’s well worth investing in the 240GB drive to ensure you have plenty of local storage.

There’s also a 1TB drive which is on sale for $219.99. This is $30 lower than it normally sells for, and happens to be the first price drop on this recently-released drive. If you’re dealing with slow storage in your current laptop, it’s time to ditch it and swap in a new SSD for yourself. Doing something as simple as replacing your spinning drive with a solid-state one can make a huge impact on your machine’s performance and load times. You don’t have to take my word for it, try it for yourself with one of these discounted drives.

See at Amazon

Apple Registers Several New Mac and iPad Models in Eurasia

Apple has registered new tablets and Macs with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) this week, indicating that refreshes could be on the horizon. The filings, uncovered by French website Consomac, are legally required for any devices with encryption sold in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.

iPad Pro concept (right) by Álvaro Pabesio
The five Mac model numbers are A1931, A1932, A1988, A1989 and A1990, indicating two distinct ranges. The last three numbers may relate to expected refreshes for the 13-inch MacBook Pro (with and without Touch Bar) and the 15-inch MacBook Pro, while the first two could reference a refreshed 12-inch MacBook and a potential replacement for the aging MacBook Air, which Apple has been gradually phasing out.

Apple is rumored to be planning to introduce the new entry-level 13-inch MacBook in the second half of 2018, which would serve as a replacement for the MacBook Air. Details have been scant about the rumored machine, but it could turn out to belong to the 12-inch MacBook family, and the model numbers A1931 and A1932 potentially reflect this.

It’s not known what the rumored 13-inch MacBook would be priced at, but the MacBook Air sells for $999, a price point Apple has thus far been unable to match with the 12-inch MacBook and the MacBook Pro.

The five new iPad model numbers are harder to decipher, but Apple is expected to launch new models of iPad Pro later this year featuring slimmer edges, a faster processor, a custom Apple-built GPU, and a TrueDepth camera with support for Face ID.

One report has claimed one of the new iPad Pro models will have a display that measures in at approximately 11 inches, which is in line with reports suggesting the device could have slimmer bezels.

Perhaps the most curious details in the EEC filing are the OS references, with macOS 10.13 and iOS 11 given for the Mac and iPad models, respectively. It’s conceivable Apple could refresh its Mac line before macOS Mojave is ready, but launching new iPad Pro models before the launch of iOS 12 seems less likely, given the number of features Apple is introducing in the new OS to accommodate iPads with Face ID and no Home button.

However, strings of code have been found in iOS 11 referring to a “modern iPad”, which mirrors the “modern iPhone” nomenclature Apple used to refer to the iPhone X ahead of its release, so nothing is certain.

It’s also worth noting that Apple registered several new models of iPhone with the EEC back in April that have yet to appear, so extrapolating launch dates from the filing is particularly difficult. Suffice to say Apple’s Mac line-up is overdue an upgrade, while new iPads are expected to launch sometime around September.

Related Roundups: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBookTag: EECBuyer’s Guide: MacBook Air (Don’t Buy), MacBook Pro (Don’t Buy), MacBook (Don’t Buy)
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Outlook Web Mail Service To Gain Highly Requested ‘Dark Mode’

Enthusiasm for interface dark modes appears to be catching. The Verge reports that Microsoft is planning to introduce such a mode to its Outlook.com web mail service, which has around 400 million active users.

The dark mode for Outlook.com is one of the most highly requested features for Microsoft’s web mail service, according to listings on the Outlook.com feedback site.

The https://t.co/0b8YLi7Qx0 Halloween theme is quite something pic.twitter.com/JIMc3ZSlPS

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 27, 2017

Testing of the new color scheme – reminiscent of last year’s Outlook Halloween theme – has been underway over the last few months, according to Microsoft, which has already started teasing the new-look web interface online.

Responding to a feedback post, one Outlook.com team member had this to say:

One reason for the delay is our insistence that we deliver the best Dark Mode of any leading email client (you’ll understand when you see it, I guarantee). The sneak preview you saw last year at Halloween was a prototype that required a lot more work to be ready for prime time. We’ve redesigned the colors and code multiple times and are proud to enter the final stretch.

Many MacRumors readers will no doubt be aware of the desktop Dark Mode that Apple is introducing in macOS Mojave. While the company is yet to have announced a similar mode for iOS, many third-party mobile apps have already adopted the color scheme, including Twitter, Reddit, Twitch, and YouTube.

Related Roundup: macOS Mojave
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Intel Reportedly Halts Development of 5G Modem After Losing Apple’s iPhone Business

Apple has informed Intel that it will not use the chipmaker’s 5G mobile modem in its 2020 iPhones, according to a new report.

Israeli website CTech by Calcalist reported on Wednesday that it had reviewed internal communications from Intel and spoken to “people familiar with the matter”, leading it to conclude that Intel will not provide the 5G modems for Apple’s 2020 mobile devices.

Apple has notified Intel it will not use a mobile modem developed by the chipmaker in its next-generation mobile device, Intel executives said in the communications. Further development of the modem component internally called “Sunny Peak” is halted and Intel’s team working on the product will be redirected to other efforts, the executives said.

Calcalist said the communications it had seen described Apple as the “key mobile customer” and the “main volume driver” for the “Sunny Peak” 5G mobile modem, underlining the impact the loss of business would have on the chipmaker.

Apple was also said to be facing a “massive effort” to launch 5G in its mobile products, with Intel executives blaming the company’s decision not to use its modems on “many factors”, including the introduction of a faster WiGig (802.11ad) Wi-Fi standard, which brought “new and unanticipated challenges”.

In a response to Calcalist’s request for comment, an Intel spokesman said the company does not comment on matters relating to its customers.

The news follows one analyst’s prediction last week that Apple could choose to use modems manufactured by MediaTek instead of Intel in future iPhones.

Northland analyst Gus Richard gave no timeline for the predicted switch, but with deals for 2018 iPhones already established, any impact was expected no earlier than 2019.

Apple added Intel as a manufacturer only a couple of years ago, after previously relying solely on Qualcomm for its modem chips. Current iPhones use LTE chips from both companies, but Apple is embroiled in a lawsuit with Qualcomm and is rumored to be planning to ditch their chips, too.

Apple is believed to be developing its own modem chips, but it will need to continue to use third-party chips until its in-house solution is ready to be deployed in iOS devices.

Current rumors suggest Intel will supply approximately 70 percent of LTE chips for Apple’s 2018 lineup, with the rest of the chips coming from Qualcomm.

Apple is also moving away from Intel chips in its Mac lineup, with rumors indicating the company is developing its own custom chips that could appear in Macs as early as 2020.

Tag: Intel
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