Apple is now building the chip it needs to ditch Qualcomm like it ditched Intel

This fall, Apple changed how we thought about laptops overnight. It replaced the Intel processors in its MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac Mini with its own homegrown ARM chips instead — and though we were initially skeptical about Apple’s silicon transition, the final product blew us away.

Now, Bloomberg reports that Apple’s chip chief has internally revealed that a second chip transition is also already in the early stages: a cellular modem that could mean far less need (if any) for Qualcomm chips in Apple’s products.

“This year, we kicked off the development of our first internal cellular modem which will enable another key strategic transition,” Apple hardware SVP Johny Srouji reportedly said, according to Bloomberg.I

If you’ve been following Apple’s struggles with Intel and Qualcomm, this won’t come as much of a surprise: Apple bought Intel’s smartphone modem business last July, which strongly suggested it was only a matter of time before Apple used that purchase to develop its own radio chips.