iPhones And iPads To Get Intel Chips In The Future?

We've talked about speculation before that Apple may be considering switching their foundry from Samsung to Intel for their ARM-based A4 and A5 chips. It seemed unlikely that Intel would be willing to fabricate chips not using their own technology, but now new reports from analysts reveal that Intel may do so in exchange for Apple to ditch ARM architecture in the future.

Citi analyst Glen Yueng says that Intel is currently in talks with Apple about manufacturing the custom A4 and A5 chips, but that the aim is towards a much bigger partnership. Yueng says that Intel isn't interested in simply being a foundry partner with Apple and that part of the deal that's being negotiated would have Apple migrate to Intel chips later on for their future iPads and iPhones.

If this deal goes through, it would be a huge blow to ARM. But recent rumors have also suggested that Apple may switch from Intel to ARM for the processors in their Macbooks. But with Intel's recent unveiling of the 22-nm 3D Tri-Gate chip technology, that will pack in the performance Intel is known for while reducing size and energy consumption, it's hard to see Apple making that move.

[via Business Insider]