Apple Reportedly Wants to Buy Intel’s Smartphone Modem Business
After settling its controversial patent lawsuit with Qualcomm, Apple is reportedly looking to purchase Intel’s smartphone modem business. The company has been rumored to be interested in Intel’s smartphone business in the past, but a new report from The Information is claiming that Cupertino is in talks to buy a portion of Intel’s smartphone modem business.
It’s not clear how far the talks have come so far, but the report claims that there are chances of the deal falling through.
Apple is apparently mainly interested in Intel’s smartphone modem business in Germany, which got big after the chip maker acquired Infineon for a whopping $1.4 billion back in 2011. Apple buying Intel’s smartphone modem business in Germany would give the company access to a wide range of talent focused on developing smartphone modems.
Intel has even said that the company has seen quite a lot of interest on its 5G smartphone modem business. “We have hired outside advisers to help us assess strategic options for our wireless 5G phone business,” an Intel spokesman said in a statement. “We have created value both in our portfolio of wireless modem products and in our intellectual property. We have received significant interest in the business but have nothing more to say at this time.”
And that could be a key acquisition for Apple. The company is falling behind in the 5G race, plus considering its relationship with Qualcomm and Intel pulling out of the 5G smartphone modem industry, the company may have no option than to work on a 5G modem itself. Acquiring Intel’s smartphone modem business could help quite a lot.