Apple could be the latest company to move away from Intel chips.
No more Intel inside Mac laptops?
A new Bloomberg report on Monday says that the iPhone maker will make its long-rumored move away from Intel chips in its Mac line as soon as 2020, replacing the Intel processors with its own.
Intel shares dropped 6% Monday after the report, which cited unnamed people familiar with Apple’s plans.
Intel processors are currently found throughout the Mac line of laptops and desktops. Apple already uses its own processors to power its iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs and Apple Watches.
The company began adding some of its own chips to Macs late last year, but those are not Intel-replacements and instead help with some tasks like the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the latest MacBook Pros.
Apple declined to comment on the report. In an email, an Intel spokesman said that the company does not “comment on speculation about our customers.”
According to the Bloomberg report, Intel gets roughly 5% of its annual revenue from Apple.
As Apple’s own chips have gotten more powerful for its iOS devices like iPhone, talk of the company expanding the chips into Macs has intensified. Such a move would allow the company to better unify its software across its devices.
Apple may also bring iOS apps to the Mac, a move that could happen as soon as later this year.
The move from Apple would be the latest blow for the once dominant chip maker. Late last year Microsoft announced that it would be creating a version of Windows that would work with processors from Intel rival ARM, such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon chips found in many popular smartphones including Samsung’s Galaxy line.
The new Windows computers promise all-day battery life and thinner designs, marking the first true challenger in years to Intel and AMD’s stronghold over the personal computer market.
Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal
