Apple confirms months of rumours as it announces the acquisition of the "majority" of the Intel smartphone modem business in a $1 billion deal covering intellectual property, equipment, leases and around 2200 employees.
The primary reason for such a purchase is, perhaps obviously, precious IP-- the Intel modem business includes no less than 17000 wireless technology patents covering anything from cellular standard protocols to modem architecture and modem operations. The patents acquired by Apple are solely focused on smartphones, with Intel retaining IP relating to applications such as PCs, Internet of Things devices and autonomous vehicles.