Real Reason Why No 5G iPhones In 2019, Qualcomm Dispute.

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According to Apple COO Jeff Williams, the results of it suing Qualcomm and subsequent reactions by Qualcomm has lead to delay in 5G iPhones.
According to COO, Apple wanted to use Qualcomm's 4G LTE processors in its newest iPhones, but the Qualcomm refused to sell them to Apple. This seems to be the reason to delay the 5G, as current modem supplier, Intel does not have the technology and that had lead to a ripple effect on how quickly Apple can make the shift to 5G.
Qualcomm accused Apple of demanding $1 billion to remain a modem supplier, during the same FTC trial.

Qualcomm continues to provide Apple with chips for its older iPhones, including the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, but it won't provide Apple with processors for the newest iPhones, designed since Apple sued Qualcomm.
 "We have been unable to get them to support us on new design wins past that time, This has been a challenge."Apple COO Jeff Williams testified Monday during the US Federal Trade Commission's trial. Williams also said that the royalty rate, $7.50 per iPhone, Apple paid for using Qualcomm patents is higher than it wanted to, at the trial kicked off Jan. 4 in US District Court in San Jose, California. Testimony covers negotiations and events that occurred before March 2018 and can't encompass anything after that date.

Apple relies on third-party modems for network connectivity. Qualcomm was the sole supplier of modems from the iPhone 4S in 2011 to the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus in 2015.  Apple started using Intel modems in some models of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, but it still used Qualcomm in Verizon and Sprint versions of those iPhones. Apple's latest phones, iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, now only use Intel 4G chips.

Unless Apple and Qualcomm make up and be friends, the trend on modems on Apple's the next iPhone will also use only Intel chips, which will make Apple late to the market for 5G phones. By the 2019 holiday season, every major Android vendor in the US will have a 5G phone available. But Intel's 5G modem isn't expected to hit phones until 2020.