In the latest version of his “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that Apple wants to replace every major part of the iPhone with an in-house design, as well as making some changes to other Apple products.
That includes moving away from Qualcomm Inc.’s modem component in the iPhone, revamping Apple’s approach to displays and ushering in additional wireless chips. Building its own cellular modem is now expected to be ready around 2026. Gurman says the company will then probably need two or three additional years to get that chip inside cellular versions of the Apple Watch and iPad — and the Mac, once the part is integrated into the company’s system-on-a-chip. He says that a
° A combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip that will eventually replace parts from Broadcom Inc. Its release was originally scheduled for 2025, but — like the modem — the technology is also facing delays. It’s overseen by Zongjian Chen, the same executive on technology chief’s Johny Srouji’s team leading the modem work.t the same time, the group is working on several other projects:
° MicroLED displays, which will first come to the Apple Watch, followed evenutally by the company’s other devices. This project has been in the works for over half a decade and has suffered setbacks. It’s overseen by displays chief Wei Chen and Steve Hotelling, another top Srouji lieutenant.
° A noninvasive glucose monitoring system that the company hopes to eventually cram into the Apple Watch. This long-in-the-works project is now led by Tim Millet, who runs Apple’s platform architecture group.
° Custom designs for the batteries in Apple products. The company has been deeply involved in the development of batteries for decades — working closely with partners — but now Apple is investigating whether it can do more on its own. Still, this remains an exploratory project and creating marketable technology is considered a long shot.
° Lastly, the company is eyeing an in-house strategy for camera sensors. Photography has become one of the most critical selling points of its iPhones, and the technology is core to future developments in the mixed-reality and autonomous-driving industries.
This info from Gurman is from the free edition of “Power On”. If you like it, consider subscribing to Bloomberg.com—you’ll receive the newsletter earlier and get exclusive access to a Q&A section.
