Apple Plans to Eventually Integrate Future Modem Components into Main Processor
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Apple is working on integrating its new modem component into the main processors used to power its devices, which will make them both more power efficient and less costly to produce, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Gurman’s comments came in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter. “I’d expect this in 2028 at the earliest,” said the reporter. 2028 is also the year Gurman has previously said Apple could begin using its in-house developed and manufactured modem in cellular MacBook models. However, in the latest newsletter, Gurman did not mention Macs in the same sentence as modems.
Apple will integrate in-house modem into its main processors, but it will take time. Unless you closely read Apple’s press release for the iPhone 16e or scrutinized the company’s announcement video, you’d have no idea that the device has a groundbreaking new piece of technology: the first in-house modem chip.
Mark Gurman
Apple has repeatedly considered developing MacBooks boasting cellular connectivity. Even before the iPad launched, the Cupertino company reportedly considered releasing a MacBook Air boasting 3G connectivity. However, it decided against that partly due to how much room it would take up inside the MacBook’s case. An integrated System on a Chip (SoC) would remedy the space issue.
Apple recently debuted its first custom modem chip, the C1. The new modem chip is used in the company’s new lower-priced iPhone 16e, which Apple unveiled last week. Apple claims the C1 is the most power-efficient modem ever used in an iPhone, resulting in the iPhone 16e offering significantly longer battery life than the iPhone 16, supplying up to 26 of viewing enjoyment for watching videos.
“C1 is the start,” chipmaking chief Johny Srouji told Reuters. “We’re going to keep improving that technology each generation, so that it becomes a platform for us that will be used to truly differentiate this technology for our products.”
According to Gurman, Apple is already testing the C1’s successor, the “C2” modem, as well as the “C3,” which could debut as soon as 2027. By the time the third-generation modem is released, Apple hopes it will “outdo Qualcomm’s modem capabilities.” The iPhone maker plans to use the C2 modem in its iPhone 18 Pro models in 2026.
Apple has been developing its modem since at least 2018, seeking to move away from using Qualcomm’s modem in its devices. While there’s been plenty of tension (and lawsuits) between the two firms, the pair recently extended their modem supply agreement through March 2027. That should allow Apple plenty of time to get its own solution ready for prime time.
