Apple has extended is deal with networking and connectivity chip manufacturer Broadcom by 5 years, according to a report from Reuters.
Broadcom's chips are currently used in Apple products such as the iPhone and iPad for network communications, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Apple has recently expanded into this space itself, debuting the Apple designed C1 modem in iPhone 16e last year.
The C1 chip has since been succeeded by C1X, which appears in iPhone Air, iPhone 17e and the latest generation of iPad Air and Pro.
What Could This Mean For Apple Designed Modems?
The company has already avoided using its own modem chips in its bestselling flagship products, such as iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, which use a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip instead.
This suggests that Apple does not believe their own modems are as good as third-party options and that they are still in the early testing stage by deploying C1 and C1X into their cheaper or more niche products.
The extended deal with Broadcom could be interpreted as Apple buying more time to develop their own modem chips, allowing them to keep their options open to use third-party modems if development goes wrong.
