In July $2019,$ Apple took a step towards insourcing iPhone chip production with the announcement that it had agreed to purchase the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business for $$1$ billion. ${?}^{61}$ The deal was the second$-$largest ever at Apple, after the $$3\mathrm{.}2-$billion purchase of Beats Electronics LLC in $2014.{?}^{62}$ Although Apple planned to use Qualcomm modem technology for its new $5$G iPhone in $2020,$ the plan was to have an internally developed $5G$ modem available for some products by $2021\mathrm{.}63$ During a call with investors on July $30,2019,$ Cook made the following comment regarding the Intel acquisition:

We see this is a great opportunity to work with some of the leading talents in this field, to grow our portfolio of wireless technology patents to over $7,000,$ to expedite our development of our future products, and to further our long$-$term strategy of owning and controlling the primary technologies behind the products that we make. ${?}^{64}$

Product Assembly

More than $90$ per cent of Apple products were assembled in China, including most of its iPhones. Although Pegatron Corporation and Wistron Corporation had contracts for iPhone assembly work, Foxconn handled the majority of the volume. ${?}^{65}$ The relationship between Apple and Foxconn spanned two decades, starting with the iPod in $2001$ and continuing later with Foxconn becoming the contract manufacturer for the first