Apple has been a follower, not a leader, when it comes to new radio standards. The first iPhone did not even support 3G. But there are signs this will change in 5G, with the company getting involved in mobile standards to a far greater extent than ever before, and hiring engineers to work on 5G technology. If Apple launches a 5G iPhone at an early stage, it will have a significant impact on the speed of uptake of the new networks by consumers, and which spectrum bands achieve a large-scale ecosystem. That has been its influence in previous generations, but it will also be feeling new pressures itself – a greater need to differentiate itself and defend its territory against…