Apple Considering Switching From Intel for Mac
Intel may be losing Apple. The computing giant it looking to replace the Intel Corp. processors in its Mac computers with a version of the chip it already uses in the iPhone and the iPad. Apple’s engineers feel their mobile chip designs will soon be powerful enough to run personal computers, sources with knowledge of the company’s plans told Bloomberg.
The three sources, who asked to remain anonymous since the company’s plans are confidential, said although Apple is currently committed to Intel and will not likely switch in the near future, an eventual switch to its own technology is inevitable as the line between mobile device and personal computer blurs. Such a change would be a devastating blow to Intel, which has already taken a hit by the weakened market for Windows-running PCs. Plus, if Apple jumps ship other manufacturers could follow.
“Apple is a trendsetter, and once they did their own chip many others may pursue a similar path,” Sergis Mushell, an analyst at Gartner Inc, told Bloomberg. “If mobility is more important than functionality, then we will have a completely different environment than we are dealing with today.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook hopes to offer the consumer five years from now a seamless experience of laptops, tablets, phones and televisions—all under the Apple umbrella. Apple’s engineers see that vision more feasible if all the devices use a common chip design.
Intel shares took a dive just before the close of trading Monday, from a high of $22.11 to close at $21.84.
[Image via Dusit/Shutterstock]
