Apple has plans to start mass producing various wireless chips, and eventually, all of them will be arranged in a single package, saving considerable internal space while improving power efficiency. Unfortunately, that plan appears to be a distant dream because the technology giant’s custom Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips were supposed to arrive in 2025. Sadly, just like the problems encountered with its in-house 5G modem, Apple’s troubles continue in this regard too.

With finalized custom Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips, Apple will be able to sever its dependency on Broadcom and, eventually, Qualcomm

Just like the A-series and M-series chips, the next entrant belonging to Apple’s custom parts is likely the 5G modem. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has not stated much in his latest ‘Power On’ newsletter regarding custom Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip development but does mention other details.

For instance, he states that under the leadership of Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies, the company has rid itself of Intel and successfully switched to custom silicon for various Macs. Now, the next challenge is to develop custom wireless parts, ranging from a 5G modem along with a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip.

The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips were supposed to launch in 2025, but Apple encountered issues with both, delaying the launch to an undisclosed period. The California-based giant has also faced innumerable problems with its 5G modem, and with the chip said to be in its early stages, the company is reportedly experiencing performance, overheating and other problems, forcing the baseband chip launch to be delayed to late 2025 or early 2026.

The development of custom Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips is currently overseen by Zongjian Chen, the same individual on Srouji’s team who is leading the 5G modem work. Even though the problems were not mentioned in the newsletter, we can assume that performance, increased power consumption, and compatibility to work with various international wireless standards were the common hurdles witnessed by Apple and its teams.

The custom Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips will likely launch after the in-house 5G modem arrives, which will take several years, but Apple intends to fulfill its long-term promise. In addition, Gurman wrote that the firm is also working on custom batteries and cameras for various products, but the first family to be treated to these components will likely be the iPhone.