I think the more interesting question is how fast Apple can get its own radio hardware online. I think the switch to Intel is just a softening-up tactic in the

I think the more interesting question is how fast Apple can get its own radio hardware online. I think the switch to Intel is just a softening-up tactic in the battle with Qualcomm, which is really about licensing their patents at a reasonable price-per-chip for Apple's own 5G (or 5G+) implementation. It's not clear how long Apple has been working on a baseband controller, but it's not something that can be done quickly. I doubt it'll be 2021, or even 2022. But it's a significant non-Apple component with plenty of room to innovate, so it seems inevitable that they'll tackle it sooner or later. In the meantime, they'll use Intel's hardware until they get a deal with Qualcomm. No-one buys an iPhone to have the latest-and-greatest technical specs: the lack of 5G won't hurt them in the short term. https://www.businessinsider.com.au/apple-deleted-job-listing-shows-plans-design-5g-modem-2018-4 https://www.businessinsider.com.au/apple-deleted-job-listing... https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-15/apple-recruiting-chip-engineers-to-work-in-qualcomm-s-backyard https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-15/apple-rec... https://www.technobuffalo.com/2018/11/16/apple-hiring-san-diego-qualcomm-5g-modem/ https://www.technobuffalo.com/2018/11/16/apple-hiring-san-di...