‘Apple adjusts iPhone 7 and 8 in Germany to circumvent sales ban’

Apple is making changes to the iPhone 7 and 8 so that the company can circumvent the sales ban imposed by Qualcomm in Germany. At least that is what WinFuture states based on sources.

WinFuture reports that it has learned from multiple sources in the retail industry that Apple is in the process of introducing technically modified iPhones in the near future. Apple has informed its suppliers that the new versions of the iPhone 7 and 8 should be available within four weeks. These modified versions of the iPhone 7 and 8 would include other software and modified hardware, including at least a new envelope tracking chip.

If Apple actually comes with this modified version of the iPhone 7 and 8, it will be in response to a German verdict from December last year. A Munich district court ruled in a patent case filed by Qualcomm that the chip in the iPhones infringes a hardware patent from Qualcomm.

This specifically concerns chips for wireless communication from an Apple supplier, namely Qorvo. According to the German court, chips from this company infringe Qualcomm’s patents on envelope tracking technology. This technique enables efficient use of energy, among other things by adapting the supply to throughput speeds.