Barclays: Apple missed 5G in 2019 and will only use 4G in 2020

Apple's response to angry critics has been impressive. This week, Apple's plan to build a foldable iPhone miraculously surfaced, which has somewhat changed people's views. But a bigger obstacle suddenly appeared in front of Apple.

[[258575]]

Not only will Apple's iPhone miss out on 5G in 2019, but it will also be limited to 4G in 2020, according to a new research note from financial giant Barclays.

Barclays explained that the modem design for the 2020 iPhone "needs to be finalized now," and Intel's rush to launch its first 5G smartphone modem in late 2019 "does not match Apple's timeline."

Adding to the woes is Apple's legal dispute with Qualcomm. The chip giant was the obvious choice because its 5G modems are commercially ready. Unfortunately, the two companies are in the middle of a bitter legal battle. Barclays said Apple appears to be "running out of time" to close the gap between the Intel chips it uses and Qualcomm.

Apple also appears to have exhausted all other avenues.

Apple confirmed that it had approached Samsung and MediaTek as potential suppliers, but doubted they could "meet Apple's production, performance, and cost requirements." Apple has even begun developing its own modem, but it's still a long way from a commercial release.

The good news is that Apple's missed 5G announcement this year doesn't seem to be a big deal. While both 5G phones and 5G networks will be available this year, their availability will be limited.

But that's about to change dramatically in 2020, and releasing an iPhone without 5G capabilities between October 2020 and October 2021 would be marketing suicide.

When Apple and Qualcomm launched their legal battle in 2017, Apple was widely seen as having the upper hand. But the tech tide appears to have begun to turn quickly.