Having abandoned most of its modem activities following the breakdown of its 5G deal with Apple, Intel is now partnering with Taiwan’s MediaTek to bring 5G to laptops. The Taiwanese company was once seen as a major challenger to market leader – and Intel bete noire – Qualcomm, but in recent years, has slipped in the smartphone modem rankings and focused on other areas, such as set-top box chips, for its growth. However, it is promising a big smartphone comeback in 5G, and is also looking for other devices where Qualcomm is a less powerful incumbent. One could be the laptop and ‘post-PC’ segments, which include slimline, always-connected computers like Intel Ultrabooks and Google Chromebooks. Dell and HP are expected…