Plans from Apple to integrate C1 into an iPhone 17 model this fall and replace Qualcomm's modem in the Apple Watch Ultra with MediaTek's technology in 2025 will make the company more independent.
Eliminating Qualcomm modems will save Apple billions annually, as Apple paid around $23 per modem and $8 in patent fees per device.
Apple has finally released the first betas for the next release cycle, and visionOS 2.4 includes support for Apple Intelligence on Apple Vision Pro.
Apple and Qualcomm's relationship has been strained for a decade and the iPhone 16e C1 chip is Apple's first move to cut ties once and for all.
Analysts estimated that Apple paid over $2.5 billion in 2024 alone for Qualcomm's patent licenses, fees that Apple's leadership, especially CEO Tim Cook, considered too high.
