Intel and Apple have been in discussions about how to work more closely together, reports Bloomberg. The talks started after Intel approached Apple about a potential investment, but they are in the early stages and might not result in an agreement.
Intel has been struggling to compete with other chipmakers, and earlier this year, the company announced that it was cutting 15 percent of its workforce and canceling factories that it planned to build in Europe. Back in August, the U.S. government purchased a 9.9 percent stake in Intel to speed up Intel's Ohio manufacturing plans.
Since then, Nvidia invested $5 billion in Intel for chips for PCs and data centers, and Japanese company SoftBank also invested $2 billion. Intel is said to be reaching out to several other companies about investments and possible partnerships.
Before transitioning to custom Apple silicon chips starting in 2020, Apple used chips designed by Intel for its Macs. Apple no longer relies on Intel's technology, and uses TSMC to manufacture chips that Apple designs.
Apple also worked with Intel on 5G modem chips when it was attempting to move away from Qualcomm technology. Intel was not able to manufacture modem chips that were up to Apple's standards, so the deal fell through. Intel ended up exiting the modem chip business, and selling its modem business to Apple.
There is no chance that Apple would switch back to Intel chips for its products, so it is not clear what kind of deal the two companies could establish. TSMC makes all of Apple's chips, but it is possible that Apple could transition to having some components manufactured by Intel.
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues.
The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by Juli Clover
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+.
What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year?
Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+
The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here
2026 Plans Still Under ...
Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by Juli Clover
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging.
There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models.
The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras
Under-screen Face ID
Front camera in...
Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones.
iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features.
Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen
A new slider in the Lock...
Samsung kicked off a new end-of-the-year sale this week, introducing great deals on monitors, TVs, Galaxy smartphones, and home appliances. Many of these deals are the exact same all-time low prices we tracked during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep ...
2025 was a significant year of advancement for Apple's software, with a noticeable focus on visual design, productivity, and communication.
While Apple introduced and continued to iterate on a wide range of features throughout the year, several additions stood out for their scope and practical impact across multiple devices. As the year comes to an end, these five new features provide a...
Back when Intel was still bigger than Apple, Steve Jobs approached Intel multiple times about developing custom silicon for Apple’s laptops and smartphones. Intel declined every time. That decision essentially made Intel irrelevant once Apple fully embraced ARM and the rest of the industry followed Apple’s lead. The then-CEO of Intel later admitted that saying no to Jobs was his biggest blunder.
If Apple invests, it will (in my opinion) likely be a small amount, a token really, in the spirit of encouraging competition among a (potential) future foundry vendor.
It would be positive for Apple longer-term if there were more foundry businesses for them to partner with.
Apple also worked with Intel on 5G modem chips when it was attempting to move away from Qualcomm technology. Intel was not able to manufacture modem chips ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/04/03/intel-delays-5g-iphone-2020/') that were up to Apple's standards, so the deal fell through. Intel ended up exiting ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/04/16/intel-exits-5g-smartphone-modem-business/') the modem chip business, and selling its modem business to Apple ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/07/25/apple-intel-acquisition/').
Apple was able to execute with the leftovers of Intel's failure. Intel hasn't been able to execute for over a decade at this point. Intel needs to successfully execute on something to be of interest to Apple. The most interesting for Apple would be for Intel to be a fab alternative to TSMC. But Intel is showing no signs of being able to execute on its process...
Half jokingly, Intel stands a better chance of executing on anything if it offers itself for sale to Apple. At the very low price that Apple prefers.
I think the title word begging should be changed. It’s not begging. It’s aggressive partnership-seeking and capital raising is what intel is trying to do.
