Here we go again - Apple again rumored to buy Intel

Posted:
in General Discussion

Apple left Intel behind four years ago now, but a resurrected rumor says Apple is thinking about buying the long-running chipmaker. It's absolute nonsense, but if it ever happened, it would make a curious end to the Wintel story.

Blue Apple logo with the word inside in a playful font, encircled by a blue oval line.
It's not exactly likely, but there are solid reasons why Apple could now buy Intel



Apple did buy Intel's entire modem division back in 2019, but this rumor says it would just acquire the whole firm. The same rumor does say that perhaps Samsung would be more likely, and there are even others, but it's Apple who would be most interesting. Not to mention the most funny.

For back in the day, Windows and Intel were this dominant partnership. They were so strong that the PC was regularly referred to as Wintel, and it was Wintel machines that kept the Mac struggling to even be a niche player.

Those days aren't exactly gone, but there's been a lot more losing than winning for Intel in the last many years. Once the absolute leading edge in processor design, it's become better known now for launching press releases, and denying chip failures.

Those press releases always prove that Intel is about to unveil a processor that will revolutionize the world and return the firm to its glory days. It may yet happen, but it hasn't so far, and it's not looking like Tim Cook is going to regret moving Apple away from Intel any time soon.

That's despite Intel still wanting Apple to come back, in at least some form.



Now according to the YouTube channel "Moore's Law is Dead" and its presenter Tom S., Apple could be coming back to Intel. It just wouldn't be coming to buy some processors, it would be coming to buy the company.

Tom S. repeatedly stresses that this is a rumor that has little backing. He stresses that the most he can say is being whispered about is that various firms are circling Intel at the moment.

That includes Samsung, which he maintains could be a more likely buyer for Intel, and Qualcomm. But the idea of a Qualcomm/Intel partnership might actually be one of the many reasons why Apple could well be looking at a deal.

Together Qualcomm and Intel might compete with Nvidia or AMD -- and could compete in all of the same markets that Apple does. Intel is seemingly not yet weak enough that Qualcomm could easily buy it, but Apple could and that would prevent two of its rivals combining.

Practical benefits



There are also seemingly practical benefits to Apple, including simply having more capacity for producing processors. Intel does have expertise, too, so it could provide a genuine help to Apple Silicon design.

Plus Intel and Apple are both American companies, so "Moore's Law is Dead" argues that the US might be more likely than not to allow a merger. That's debatable, especially in the current climate that sees the DOJ looking to break up Big Tech firms like Apple and Google.

It also ignores how other countries and their regulators could have something say about Apple buying Intel. Big Tech is a global business, which is why the UK was able to kill Microsoft's deal to buy Activision -- until being persuaded to reconsider by reasoned argument.

If global scrutiny were not likely to silence a merger, there would still be some practical benefits to Apple of pressing ahead with it. For instance, that extra capacity Intel's foundries could provide is in the US, which might prove to be a boon if the next administration raises tariffs.

So Apple buying Intel is again and will always be nonsense. It's just about as ludicrous as the years-long insistence that it will buy Disney.

And yet, there would be at least a little chutzpah if Apple did it. There are people at Apple with long memories, and they might just enjoy seeing the future of Windows PCs depend on it.

Rumor Score: B#$&(*it

Read on AppleInsider

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 25
    If you know what it takes to run a semiconductor company, then you know that the numbers don’t make sense.  Running a semiconductor company is different.  
    michelb76williamlondonlibertyandfreewatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 25
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 3,027member
    Aw, but I just love the idea of Apple putting an Intel Inside logo on the headquarters. 

    humbug1873watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 25
    I still hope for Apple to buy McLaren for a couple of billion in change. They might rebrand it to MacLaren.
    DAalsethmainyehcdaventropyslibertyandfreewatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 25
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,307member
    Wintel would be dead but WinAMD might still be available for the diehard Windows users. As for Intel, they have plenty of semiconductor manufacturing hardware that Apple could change over to building Apple Silicon hardware. As this article says, Intel has lots of US-based manufacturing allowing Apple to bring manufacturing into the US, reducing any tariffs and shipping issues at least for USA customers. Apple used to build computers in the USA and could do that again with Apple-Intel facilities. Yes, this rumor is probably BS but there has been weirder things happen.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 25
    Apple PR said:
    Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.

    entropyshmurchisonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 25
    With apologies to Michael Dell, Apple should buy Dell and then strip it for parts and return some of the value to its shareholders. Mu-wa-ha-ha-ha!

    I don't know why else Apple would buy Intel unless its relationship with TSMC was getting untenable and that doesn't seem likely.
    nubuswatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 25
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,299member
    I still hope for Apple to buy McLaren for a couple of billion in change. They might rebrand it to MacLaren.
    Blasphemy!

    one if the things I like about McLaren is the specs for their cars quote how many seconds to 200kmh, rather than industry standard 100kmh. (Or 120 mph vs 60 mph for the yanks).
    edited October 30 watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 25
    damacguy said:
    With apologies to Michael Dell, Apple should buy Dell and then strip it for parts and return some of the value to its shareholders. Mu-wa-ha-ha-ha!"
    Michael Dell already did that.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 25
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,299member
    Well, if I was to speculate,
    Taiwan  is a country under threat of invasion by its much bigger neighbour.  
    The Trump train if it arrives at the station will impose tariffs on imports

    maybe Apple might decide to reduce those risks by retooling intel for Apple Silicon?

    or maybe this is a rumour spread by people long on AMD, as it would mean it becomes the main supplier for windows machines.
    DAalsethwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 25
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,570member
    Apple has a history of paying for all the capital equipment in a factory but not necessarily owning or managing the factory. I seem to recall Apple wanting to do that with TSMC, but TSMC declined the offer because they believed (correctly) they that they could pay for the equipment themselves. And they didn’t want to be constrained in how they used that equipment.

    So the version of this story that makes sense to me is that Intel might do the deal TSMC would not. Maybe Apple buys all that expensive ASML equipment and Intel owns the building and manages the employees. For a few years that equipment is used exclusively for making apple products. Maybe Apple technically leases the equipment to Intel. Once Apple moves on to the next generation of equipment, they let Intel use the equipment to fab for other companies (either continuing to collect lease payments or just selling the equipment to Intel. 

    Or some variation on that. 

    But I don’t see Apple buying legacy Intel fabs that currently only make Intel chips (which is most Intel fabs). I could see Apple being interested in hiring some Intel employees, but they could just recruit them. I could also see Apple wanting to buy some Intel patents, but they could just buy them. 

    Better to do small separate deals to avoid regulator scrutiny, too.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 25
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,057member
    I mean sure there are benefits of Apple buying Intel but I’m still on the boat that Apple has greater benefit from buying Blackmagic. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 25
    danoxdanox Posts: 3,383member

    Intel isn’t gonna get any more business particularly from Apple. They already failed in that area. TSMC is building another chip factory in Germany, and they almost certainly will build one more in the United States.

    Intel has nothing Apple needs their fabs are old and obsolete, and their engineering and design philosophy is currently behind their competitors and this is besides the fact that Apples largest acquisition in history is only $3 billion dollars. Apple isn’t Microsoft or Google where they buy companies and then try to fit it in by laying off massive numbers of people after the deal.

    Recently there was a dumb United States commerce official who suggested that Apple should use Intel to fab chips for them the government behind the times as usual, still think of Intel as the captain of the tech industry they are not.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/u-s-govt-pushes-nvidia-and-apple-to-use-intel-s-foundries-department-of-commerce-secretary-raimondo-makes-appeal-for-us-based-chip-production/ar-AA1qwR9p  Intel had their chance 18 years ago when they had a meeting with Steve Jobs they said no.



    edited October 30 get seriousravnorodomwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 25
    Just wondering - at this point in time would USA allow Samsung to buy a major US tech company? While South Korea is an ally, they certainly don't have the best interest of this country in their bottom line. They are beholden to the power structure in Korea which could change at any time. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 25
    I still hope for Apple to buy McLaren for a couple of billion in change. They might rebrand it to MacLaren.
    Nope ... but Apple buying McIntosh for high-end audio ;-)
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 25
    Why buy old fabs when you can build new modern ones with CHIPS assistance?
    Why take on a 120,000 person bureaucracy steeped in disdain for your company and philosophy?
    Why not just poach the people you need and buy their IP as Intel slowly fails?

    williamlondonentropyswatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 25
    Intel? What is the point? Run Apple own Fab to make chips? Does Intel reach 5nm yet?
    I think it is not even under radar.
    For semiconductor related, Qualcomm, ARM, even buy a big share of TSMC or Nvidia may be a better choice.
    williamlondonravnorodomwatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 25

    Rumor Score: B#$&(*it

    Quite an appropriate smackdown :smiley:. But you have to wonder if we are feeding the beast by responding to crap like this.
    edited October 30 williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 25
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,240member
    bala1234 said:

    Rumor Score: B#$&(*it

    Quite an appropriate smackdown :smiley:. But you have to wonder if we are feeding the beast by responding to crap like this.
    Like all tech media sites AppleInsider worships at the Altar of the Almighty Pageview. So publishing nonsense rumors is beneficial to their bottom line.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 19 of 25
    Apple would buy Intel for one reason not mentioned.  Intel is building a chip building facility to match Taiwan here in the USA.  IF THaT HAPPENS, then Apple will have the final control of the whole ball of wax.  
    ravnorodomwatto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 25
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,240member
    Apple is not interested in controlling the entire supply chain. That's why Foxconn et al do the final assembly.

    Let's remember that Steve Jobs picked Tim Cook to be his second-in-command and nominated him to become CEO twice.

    And one of Tim's first major actions as COO was to get Apple out of the manufacturing industry. Manufacturing (final assembly) has lower margins than what Apple desires and doesn't scale well unless there is ready availability of workers.
    watto_cobra
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