Could Intel possibly become Apple's ARM SoC foundry?
If an industry analyst is to be believed, Apple may soon move the production of its ARM processors from Samsung to Intel. This dovetails neatly with the news earlier in the year that Intel was moving into the foundry business – but it isn’t quite that simple. The same analyst says that, as part of the deal, Apple will have to transition its iPads away from ARM to an Intel x86 SoC.
This information comes from Doug Freedman, an analyst at RBC Capital. The exact details are as follows: Intel would take on the production of the ARM SoCs found in the iPhone (and presumably the iPod); in exchange, Apple would switch to an x86 SoC in the iPad. According to Freedman, Cupertino is already in talks with Intel, but we should stress that nothing is confirmed.
