The iPhone 4S introduced yesterday, came without LTE 4G capabilities. This should be no surprise considering Apple had previously stated that the inclusion of such technology would require Apple to make design compromises they were unwilling to commit to. Soon after an analyst noted that chips suitable for Apple’s needs wouldn’t be available until early […]
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LTE Not Coming to iPhone Until Q3 2012 at the Earliest?

Oct 5th 2011 by
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The iPhone 4S introduced yesterday, came without LTE 4G capabilities. This should be no surprise considering Apple had previously stated that the inclusion of such technology would require Apple to make design compromises they were unwilling to commit to. Soon after an analyst noted that chips suitable for Apple’s needs wouldn’t be available until early in 2012.

AnandTech is now reporting on the progress of the LTE chip industry, and it appears that those chips won’t be available until Q3 of 2012. This means a number of companies hoping to release LTE devices this year will have to wait, let alone Apple adopting the technology.

The report specifically points to Qualcomm’s MDM9615 as the likely chip Apple will adopt. It can handle both LTE and voice signals, in a single chip. That said, this chip isn’t expected to ship in any quantity before Q2 of 2012.

Keep in mind Apple’s rumored A6 system-on-a-chip is reportedly on track to ship in Q2 as well. This makes one wonder if Apple’s next-generation iPad will have 4G LTE capabilities. Just a thought.

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