Intel CEO Expands on Desire to Make Apple Silicon Chips, Touts 'Competitive Fun' With Apple

In an interview with Yahoo Finance today, Intel's newly appointed CEO Pat Gelsinger said that the ongoing competition between his company and Apple is "fun," while also saying he hopes to make amends with the Cupertino tech giant.

pat gelsinger intel
Over the next two years, Apple will transition its Mac lineup away from Intel processors to its own Apple silicon chips. Apple is already well underway on the transition, having released three Mac computers based on its M1 SoC. Intel in response launched a marketing campaign last week to label Macs and ‌M1‌ as inferior to Intel processors.

Despite the barrage of attacks, Gelsinger has indicated that he hopes to have Apple as a future customer. In his interview with Yahoo Finance, Gelsinger said that Apple relies too heavily on its current supplier, TSMC, for manufacturing Apple silicon and that Intel wants to offer its own services instead.

Apple is a customer, and I hope to make them a big foundry customer because today they're wholly dependent on Taiwan Semiconductor. We want to present great options for them to leverage our foundry services, as well, just like we're working with Qualcomm and Microsoft to leverage our foundry. We're going to be delivering great technology, some things that can't be done anywhere else in the world.

Gelsinger attributed the recent tense competition with Apple to the fact that there's still room for innovation in the industry and the bonus that PC demand is the highest it's been in over a decade. Gelsinger went on to say there's "competitive fun going on with Apple and the Mac ecosystem."

So obviously, you've seen some of the competitive energies [in chipmaking] resume because there's a lot of great innovation to be done, and we haven't seen PC demand at this level for a decade and a half. The world needs more of that, and there is competitive fun going on with Apple and the Mac ecosystem.

As part of its anti-Apple silicon marketing campaign, Intel recently hired former "I'm a Mac" actor Justin Long to star in a series of ads comparing ‌M1‌ Macs to laptops powered by Intel processors. Additionally, Intel has turned to Twitter for the campaign and has created its own website to compare ‌M1‌ Macs against PCs.

Popular Stories

apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...

Top Rated Comments

Spock Avatar
61 months ago
Go home Intel, you’re drunk.
Score: 74 Votes (Like | Disagree)
teknikal90 Avatar
61 months ago
If you’re American and you’re cheering against Intel I think you need to think more about this situation, and how eventually, that will impact you.
You want your country to be competitive in the global landscape. It is sad that Apple (an American company) has to look to a foreign country for its chip making needs, when there’s Intel still around just down the road.

it’s bad for the American industry ultimately if Intel were to die.
Score: 62 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GreenPixel Avatar
61 months ago
Translation: Apple is going to the moon and we want to hang on their coat tails.
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vagos Avatar
61 months ago
How is being way below in benchmarks "fun" ???
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ultramove69 Avatar
61 months ago
Kinda looked like Intel was doing some bridge burning in recent advertising. So odd.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Corsig Avatar
61 months ago
I’m not a CEO but I can imagine mocking a hopefully future client isn’t the best way to win them over
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)