April 2020 • Macworld 73So even if the new modem and antenna aren’t
ready for the iPhone 12 – Qualcomm was relatively
vague about a timeline, only saying “commercial
premium smartphones” using the new modem
system are “expected in early 2021” – the
chipmaker is putting tremendous pressure on Apple
to deliver a system that’s better than the X60, lest
we have another Antennagate on our hands.
So while Apple may be hard at work at a
home-grown 5G solution for the iPhone and iPad,
Qualcomm isn’t going to let the biggest premium
phone maker get away that easily. With the X60
modem, Qualcomm isn’t just cementing its lead as
the 5G supplier on Android phones, it’s also looking
to lock up the iPhone for the foreseeable future.
Sure, Samsung cares about thinness and battery
life, but only Apple has the wherewithal to walk
away. And Qualcomm doesn’t want that to happen.