Apple Likely to Ditch Intel, Will Make Its Own Processors for Macs

Apple could launch its first set of MacBooks with in-house processors in 2020.

(Photo Courtesy: Apple)

Apple is ready to end its relations with Intel in the coming years. The company will focus on the Macs with its own designed chipset, reported Bloomberg on Tuesday, 3 April, adding that the 2020 range of Mac PCs could be the first to see the change of guard.

Intel has been occupied with tackling the mess created by chipset flaws Meltdown and Spectre and the negative news it has garnered. But the prospect of losing Apple could act as a bigger loss to Intel, which supplies its processors for the MacBooks.

Although Intel won’t be hit significantly – it’ll lose out over 5 percent of its overall revenue (as highlighted in the report) – Apple’s deflection could have a ripple-effect on its overall strategy. Especially if other PC manufacturers also start working on their own chipsets, the way Huawei and Samsung have done, with Xiaomi also adding itself into the mix.

So, why is Apple keen on making its own chipset? One such possibility is to bring the launch time frame of MacBook to suit their strategy. Relying on Intel for its annual chipset upgrade hampers Apple product roadmap strategy, which can be fixed by making the chipset in-house.

Apple isn’t alien to forming its own product strategy, a thing it has regularly done with the iPhone. Forming its own chipset for the Macs could allow them to test the software-hardware integration, which could work in favour of MacOS in general.

This could also help Apple in developing products that offer longer battery life, and let users customise their systems even. Reports even suggest that Apple is working on a software version that’ll allow them to run iOS apps from iPad and iPhone on the Macs.

This breakthrough move could allow Apple to converge its mobile and PC ecosystem, enabling developers to triple their returns from the apps designed. Recently, we have seen Google try something similar with its Chrome OS, which has gradually become compatible with Android apps.

Selling products to a consumer no longer makes sense. They are all looking to invest into an ecosystem that will function cohesively across multiple devices. Having said that, Apple’s decision to look beyond Intel for chipset could go in either direction. Neither Apple nor Intel have officially commented on the matter, and until then, it would be hard to put a marker on the topic.