Nearly two months after a court in Germany banned the sale of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models in the country in favor of Qualcomm, Apple has confirmed today that it will be selling the older iPhone devices again at its German stores. However, the Cupertino tech giant will replace Intel's chips under the hood with Qualcomm's processors in order to comply with the court's decision.
The sales ban that was enforced in December of last year stemmed from a patent lawsuit filed by Qualcomm against Apple over the use of the former's patented power-saving technology in the older iPhone models. However, it's not Intel that violated Qualcomm's patent rights but Qorvo Inc., an Apple supplier which produced the tech for saving battery power on devices while transmitting wireless signals. The iPhone maker began using modems from Intel in 2016 after years of exclusive partnership with Qualcomm.
Nonetheless, newer iPhone models that are currently being sold in Germany with Intel's chips will not be affected. Apple's latest workaround is part of its efforts to lift the ban on iPhone sales across the world. Earlier in December 2018, the company revealed its plan to roll out software updates to certain iPhone models sold in China in order to circumvent preliminary injunctions won by Qualcomm in the country.
Source: Reuters
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