Apple debuted its custom-designed C1 modem in the iPhone 16e last month, as part of a multi-year plan to transition away from Qualcomm modems. However, the C1 modem does not extend to the new iPads unveiled earlier this week.
Daring Fireball's John Gruber today said he spoke with an Apple representative who confirmed that the new iPad Air and entry-level iPad models are not equipped with the C1 modem. In addition, FCC documents viewed by MacRumors indicate that cellular configurations of both new iPads are equipped with a Qualcomm modem.
There is still at least one other device that is expected to have an Apple-designed modem this year. According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the rumored "iPhone 17 Air" model coming in September will also be equipped with the C1 modem.
Apple's modem supply agreement with Qualcomm runs through March 2027, so the company still has time to transition to its own custom-designed modems. Apple develops chips several years before they ship, so it should come as no surprise that the company is reportedly already working on its next-generation C2 and C3 modems.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone.
In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history."
"iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said.
Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ...
iOS 26.5 is now available for developers, and while it doesn't include any new Siri capabilities, there are some major changes for the European Union, and smaller tweaks for features available worldwide.
Suggested Places
In the Maps app, there's a new "Suggested Places" feature that recommends locations to visit based on trending places nearby and recent searches. When Apple launches ads in ...
Apple has been celebrating its upcoming 50th anniversary by hosting surprise performances and other events around the world over the past few weeks, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has revealed details about the company's grand finale.
In a social media post, Gurman said Apple's celebrations will conclude this week with a finale at its Apple Park headquarters for employees.
A special...
Apple today introduced a new iPad Air, with key upgrades including Apple's M4 chip for faster performance, an increased 12GB of RAM, Apple's N1 wireless networking chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, and Apple's custom C1X modem in cellular models.
The new iPad Air has the same overall design as the previous-generation model, which is equipped with the M3 chip, 8GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi 6E support....
Wednesday March 4, 2026 6:17 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is now accepting pre-orders for all of the new products that it announced this week. Everything can be ordered from the online Apple Store following the debut of the new low-cost MacBook earlier this morning, with deliveries starting on Wednesday, March 11.
Here's a list of what you can order now, with pricing details included.
MacBook Neo - The 13-inch MacBook Neo has an A18 Pro...
Ahead of the launch of new iPad Air models equipped with the M4 chip, preliminary Geekbench benchmark results have surfaced for the device, giving us an idea of how its performance compares to the prior-generation M3 iPad Air.
A pair of benchmarks from the 13-inch M4 iPad Air with Wi-Fi + Cellular (iPad16,11) suggest the M4 iPad Air CPU is 17.3 percent faster in single-core performance and...
Reasons why C1 5G modem chip isn't in other newly released Apple products
- super secret project isolated to the iPhone 16e - iPhone 16e is a test bed for new tech... such as this Apple-made 5G modem chip - C1 chip fab cannot fulfill demand beyond iPhone 16e - 5G modem chip contract obligations to Qualcomm
It would be miraculous and fitting if they put it in the new MacBook Air. Getting a 5G chip in the MacBooks has been asked for from the moment Jobs pulled one out of his envelope.
Reasons why C1 5G modem chip isn't in other newly released Apple products
- super secret project isolated to the iPhone 16e - iPhone 16e is a test bed for new tech... such as this Apple-made 5G modem chip - C1 chip fab cannot fulfill demand beyond iPhone 16e - 5G modem chip contract obligations to Qualcomm
yes, I agree with those reasons. C1 and its iterations will probably pop up in later generations
Well, if it were in the new iPads, I’m sure Apple would have mentioned it in the release announcement. The board might have required a more significant redesign to accommodate the C1.
