In its article , “The Information” refers to insider information from Apple indicating that the company is considering taking over part of Intel’s modem division. Intel itself had purchased the division from Infineon for $1.4 billion in 2011 and renamed it Intel Mobile Communications (IMC). It has been headquartered in Neubiberg near Munich ever since.

IMC supplies Apple with LTE chips for the iPhone. The deal came about after Apple was forced into a fierce licensing dispute by its previous supplier Qualcomm in 2016. After the two companies reached an agreement in the spring of 2019, Intel immediately announced that it would no longer invest in the production of smartphone modems or produce 5G chips. A complete takeover of IMC by Apple was already under discussion at the time, but did not come about.

Apple has always had the policy of getting direct control of its devices’ core components. Although the company’s own smartphone modems will probably not be ready before 2025, the first iPhones equipped with 5G technology are expected to come onto the market as early as 2020. Taking over IMC would thus make sense.