Qualcomm hints that Apple has postponed iPhones with 5g

Qualcomm has hinted that Apple has delayed the release of iPhones with 5g. Qualcomm delivers fewer modems than expected due to “the delay of a worldwide release,” the American company says in the discussion of its quarterly figures.

Qualcomm explains that it generally ships its chips a few months before a manufacturer releases the phone. As it stands now, a large customer will buy fewer chips than expected in the quarter ending at the end of September. “So what we’re seeing here is that due to the delay, some of those deliveries will be in the next quarter and some will be in the October through December quarter,” said Chief Financial Officer Akash Palkhiwala.

Apple has not been a customer for modems at Qualcomm in recent years, but that will change starting this year. It has been rumored that Apple would delay the release of iPhones this year. Over the past eight years, at least one iPhone model came out in September each time. No Apple smartphone was released in September 2011; the iPhone 4s followed in October. Apple did release the iPhone X in November 2017, although the iPhone 8 was then on the market in September. The XR also came later in 2018 than the usual September release.