SAN JOSE, Calif. , Aug. 22, 2018 –
Ironically, Apple has not used the Snapdragon applications processor, Qualcomm's best known SoC. And the first iPhones made calls over basebands from Infineon, a relative second-tier player.
But as the 4G LTE generation dawned, Apple could not resist Qualcomm's modems. They started appearing in the iPhone 4 in 2011 and have been in at least some versions of every subsequent iPhone.
Despite ugly public patent fights, they still appear in at least some of Apple's latest flagship iPhone X handsets, despite reports that Apple is trying to design them out. It's a domestic dispute with plenty of pain to go around.