Here we go again - Apple again rumored to buy Intel
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.
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
Comments
I don't know why else Apple would buy Intel unless its relationship with TSMC was getting untenable and that doesn't seem likely.
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).
Taiwan is a country under threat of invasion by its much bigger neighbour.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.