I fully expect
A new report from DigiTimes reveals rivals will not only have the headline technology of 2019 ahead of Apple’s next iPhones, but they are also ahead of schedule…
DigiTimes reveals chip makers Qualcomm and MediaTek have advanced the launch schedules for their 5G-chipsets “by at least one quarter” enabling Android smartphones to adopt 4G’s superlative successor in early 2019. By contrast, Apple won’t be able to equip iPhones with 5G until late 2020 - at the earliest.
Moreover, DigiTimes reports that Qualcomm and MediaTek’s success with 5G chip development means carriers are stepping up their plans to widely roll out 5G. In fact, Verizon has been praised for already deploying its 5G network which has hit speeds of 800Mbit.
All it is waiting for is devices, and iPhones won’t be joining any time soon.
The problem is Apple’s ongoing legal battle with Qualcomm. In response, Apple has chosen to partner exclusively with Intel - a relative newcomer to modem technology - who is more than a year behind with its 5G development. Something which has led to speculation Apple will be forced to ditch Intel if it doesn’t want its iPhones to fall even further behind the 5G technology of Qualcomm and MediaTek.
Is the lack of 5G enough to see Apple fans abandon their iPhones? Not in isolation, but this won’t be the only factor.
Earlier this month, acclaimed Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo confirmed 2019 iPhones (the models which will be flagships for most of 2020) won’t update their designs. With Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi having already released bezel-less notch-less phones onto the market and Samsung joining them with a radically redesigned Galaxy S10 (with 5G) in early 2019, suddenly the appeal of 4G-limited iPhones with what will be three-generation-old designs starts to wane.
Consequently, while Apple currently sits in the ascendency, things are about to get a lot tougher. And that’s before we get to rival smartphones which bend…
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