Apple to ditch Intel to use its own custom chips

A report that Apple’s long-rumored transition away from Intel chips to its own Arm-based processor for Mac computers could happen as soon as 2020 sent the largest U.S. chip company’s stock price down more than 6% on Monday (April 2). According to at least one industry analyst, the potential loss of the processor socket in Macs is only one of two threats facing Intel’s business from Apple.

“I think there is a double threat to Intel,” said Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research, in an email exchange with EE Times. “Intel will also likely lose Apple’s modem business once Apple integrates a modem into its mobile SoCs, which will likely be in the same time frame.”

The Bloomberg news service first reported on Monday plans to move Macs to custom, Arm-based Apple processors. Such a move would be consistent with Apple’s moves in recent years to become more vertically integrated. It would also mimic what Apple did in the smartphone market and tablet, moving from Samsung-branded processors to its own internally designed A Series processors beginning in 2010.

Read the full story on EE Times.