The iPhone 7 may still be a long way off, but it seems that there is one feature the next Apple device will be highlighting — an Intel 7360 Long Term Evolution (LTE) modem chip.

The word around is that Intel has set aside 1,000 employees to work on the said 7360 LTE modem chip and the reason behind is that the company is ramping up efforts for a potential partnership with the Cupertino giant.

The move is, of course, something that could happen and the obvious purpose is to try and give current provider Qualcomm some stiff competition.

Of course, gaining exclusivity could be a long way off for now, especially with belief that Apple is likely to dual source LTE modems from both companies.

One thing that Intel could pitch is the fact that their vaunted 7360 LTE modem chip can support downlink speeds of up to 450 Mbps. 

Apple and Intel have been working closely on the said chip, a bit that should be welcome news for folks who have endorsed the iPhone for so long.

More to that, Apple seems to be dead serious in developing a chip that could encompass its current Ax processor and the LTE modem chips with reports that the company has commissioned some of the engineers behind the development of the 7630 chip.

If this gets any headway, Apple would end up designing the SoC which in turn would be carrying the Apple brand. Should this ensue, Apple would be in charge of design, with Intel ending up fabricating the said SoC using its 14-nanometer process.

But the question is, will the development of that said chip come in time for Apple's launch of the iPhone 7? Some doubt it, although there is more than enough time to make it happen.