Apple said to be using Intel modems in some new iPhones

US chip giant Intel seems to have scored a major win over rival Qualcomm in the smartphone modem market, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Apparently Apple will use Intel modem chips for iPhones that will use the AT&T network in the US as well as some other unidentified overseas markets. This will mark the most significant mobile win for Intel since it acquired modem-maker Infineon back in 2011, but shouldn’t be confused with the mobile CPU market, which Intel has pretty much given up on.

Bloomberg noted that the original iPhone used an Infineon modem but it switched to Qualcomm when it realised 3G was a good idea. It is generally considered that Apple is looking to diversify its supply chain, both to hedge its supply risk and to keen suppliers honest.

In other Intel news Forbes reported the company has decided to pull the plug (pun intended) on developing wireless charging technology, indicating in an email that its intention was only ever to contribute to the broader ecosystem anyway. Wireless charging has never turned into the differentiator some, such as pre-Microsoft Nokia, hoped it would be.