Apple supply chain expert Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple is saying the iPhone 17 models we expect later this year will ship with Apple’s own Wi-Fi chips.
Apple continues to push ahead with its strategy of designing more major components across its products. Kuo’s post on X says Apple’s plans for the new Wi-Fi chip are progressing faster than expected – something that happened with the C1 chip that debuted with the iPhone 16e.
Looking back at Kuo’s post about the C1 modem chip, there was plenty of scepticism about Apple’s ability to deliver the C1 modem. But Apple was able to defy the doubters.
The shift to this new chip offers Apple several benefits.
Apple’s hardware and software are very tightly intertwined. Many new features that are introduced to software have specific hardware requirements. We’ve seen that with Apple Intelligence but it’s happened before with Continuity, the feature that enables copy/paste across devices as well as other features, requiring a specific Wi-Fi chip when it was first introduced.
The C1 modem chip has enabled the iPhone 16e to improve battery life over the iPhone 16 significantly. If it can extract the same sort of power saving with its own Wi-Fi chip then the iPhone 17 should be able to improve battery power without needing to add extra battery capacity. With an iPhone 17 Air widely expected, this is important as it enables Apple to deliver a thin device without adding battery weight.
Finally, there’s control. Apple is facing challenging times because of the rapidly shifting geopolitical environment. With the threat of tariffs, supply disruptions because of conflicts and increasing pressure by governments to force companies to pay more taxes Apple needs to ensure it can control as many of its costs as possible.
Making its own chips reduces licensing costs to companies such as Broadcomm and Qualcomm.
It also means Apple can potentially integrate all these functions on a single system on a chip (SoC) further simplifying manufacture. That potentially means it can start to distribute manufacturing into different countries. Logically, the first step might be to integrate the Wi-Fi and cellular chips to enable more efficient handover as people move between networks.
The move by Apple to design and manufacture a Wi-Fi chip might not garner the headlines a new device will. But it’s arguably more important as Apple looks at its future.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.