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Sina Digital News reported on the morning of January 5, a supply chain source cited by DigiTimes, a media focusing on the electronics industry, said that Apple is expected to expand its LiDAR laser scanner to the entire iPhone 13 series in 2021, not just Pro and Pro Max model. In addition, 5G millimeter wave technology will not only be available in the US iPhone.
LiDAR is a good technology, but the current usage scenarios are limited
The LiDAR lidar scanner first appeared on the iPad Pro in March 2020, and then expanded to iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. It is a small sensor that uses 3D sensing technology to measure objects about five meters away from the surrounding area. And return the data to build a 3D model. This technology can make AR (augmented reality) experience better and used in some other practical scenarios, such as measuring the height of a person.
But at present, the capabilities of this LiDAR hardware have not been fully developed yet.
Apple often introduces new features or specifications on high-end devices first, and then introduces them to low-end devices in the next few years. For example, last year OLED displays were limited to iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, while iPhone 11 used LCD screens, but this year the entire iPhone 12 series are equipped with OLED displays.
The industry generally expects that Apple will resume the tradition of releasing the iPhone in September this year (this year has been released in October due to the impact of the epidemic), and the iPhone 13 series is expected to include the same four models, including the 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini, 6.1-inch iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max (these names are currently only tentative).
Currently only the US version of the iPhone 12 series supports 5G millimeter wave
Another rumor related to the iPhone 13 is 5G. It is said that Apple will expand the 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) connection method to more countries outside the United States.
According to the report, a Taiwanese company called “Qiqi” is receiving “large orders” for the iPhone 13 series millimeter wave antennas, which may explain the company’s announcement that the company’s 5G-related component shipments will increase significantly. the reason.
Apple’s millimeter wave antennas are currently manufactured by Murata Manufacturing in Japan, and the company may share iPhone 13-related component orders with Qiqi.
According to reports, Apple supplier Wistron has invested in Qiqi to help it enter the iPhone supply chain for the first time. Qiqi obviously works closely with Qualcomm on 5G and Wi-Fi 6 components, which is a key factor for Apple’s choice of mmWave parts.
Currently, the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro models in the United States support 5G millimeter waves. Although this kind of 5G technology is faster, its popularity and penetration are poor. Outside the United States, the iPhone 12 product line only has a slower sub-6GHz 5G network, but it is more versatile. These are two different technical routes.
It is said that Apple is seeking to order a large number of mmWave antennas and find more suppliers for its components, which may indicate that the iPhone 13 model will use millimeter wave technology in more regions. Countries/regions such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, China, and Japan all have continuously developing 5G millimeter wave networks, and the iPhone 13 can be used to advance millimeter wave development.
In addition, the report also pointed out that Qiqi also designs antennas for laptops. Apple may add 5G connections to MacBooks through them at some point in the future, but this information is only a rumor.