Apple was indeed in talks about potentially buying portions of Intel’s cellular modem business in order to speed up its own internal modem development, a report claimed on Friday.
Conversations began in summer 2018, and continued for several months, according to the Wall Street Journal. They ended, however, by the time Apple reached its settlement with Qualcomm earlier this month. Intel announced its departure from the 5G modem business the same day.
Intel is now looking at “strategic alternatives” for its modem business, and could still potentially sell to Apple or another firm, Journal sources said. Analysts previously speculated about an Apple takeover.
Intel has been Apple’s primary 4G modem supplier since late 2016, mostly because of the global legal battle with Qualcomm over patents, royalties, and business models. Apple and government agencies accused Qualcomm of abusing its market position to force chip buyers into patent license agreements.
Read more at AppleInsider.com