Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.


In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028.

The non-pro iPhone chips would be manufactured with Intel's future 14A process, according to Pu.

The research note did not provide any other details about these potential plans, but based on the stated timeframe, Intel could start supplying Apple with the A22 chip for devices like the "iPhone 20" and "iPhone 20e" in around three years from now.

Importantly, there is no indication that Intel would play a role in designing the iPhone chips, with its involvement expected to be strictly limited to fabrication. Apple would continue to design iPhone chips, and Intel would start to handle a smaller percentage of manufacturing alongside Apple's primary chipmaker TSMC.

Last month, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects Intel to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip for select Mac and iPad models as early as mid-2027. For this, Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest available sub-2nm advanced node manufactured in North America."

Intel supplying Apple-designed, Arm-based chips would differ from the era of Intel-based Macs, which used Intel-designed processors with x86 architecture.

Apple reaching a chip supply deal with Intel would boost its reliance on an American manufacturing company and help to diversify its supply chain.

Intel previously supplied Apple with cellular modems for some iPhone 7 to iPhone 11 models.
This article, "Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999.


Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs.

On his blog Daring Fireball, longtime Apple commentator John Gruber has since reacted to the news with some scathing commentary about Dye.

Foremost, Gruber said Dye does not care about design.

"If you care about design, there's nowhere to go but down after leaving Apple," said Gruber, in a lengthy post citing conversations with Apple employees. "What people overlooked is the obvious: Alan Dye doesn't actually care about design."

Gruber said that everyone he spoke to inside and outside of Apple was "happy" — if not downright "giddy" — to learn that Lemay is replacing Dye.

"Lemay is well-liked personally and deeply respected talent-wise," he said.

"He has always set an extraordinarily high bar for excellence and embodies Apple's culture of collaboration and creativity," Apple CEO Tim Cook said of Lemay, in his statement to Bloomberg that confirmed Dye is leaving the company.

Dye was promoted to Vice President of Human Interface Design at Apple in 2015, at the same time as Jony Ive became Chief Design Officer at the company. Gruber said this was a "big mistake," as Dye had no background in user interface design.

Lemay, on the other hand, is described as being a "career" interface designer with a particular "attention to detail and craftsmanship."

The move from Dye to Lemay could be the best thing to happen to Apple's human interface design "in the entire stretch since Steve Jobs's passing and Scott Forstall's ouster," according to Gruber. At the very least, he expects the move to "stop the bleeding" at Apple, both in terms of quality of work and talent retention.

Dye is expected to begin his role at Meta at the end of December.

Gruber's full post on Daring Fireball: "Bad Dye Job"
This article, "John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today announced that The Rest Is History has received the 2025 Apple Podcasts Award for Show of the Year for its high quality and cultural impact.


Launched in 2020, The Rest Is History is a history podcast hosted by witty British historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. It explores historical events, ranging from the rise and fall of the Roman Empire to the sinking of the Titanic.

"The Rest Is History does a phenomenal job in taking a subject as vast as human history and captivating a global audience," said Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Apple Sports, and Beats. "Tom and Dominic have created something special that represents the very best of what's possible with podcasting — it's educational, it's hilarious, and it has fostered a true sense of community."

"We don't moralize, we don't judge the past, and we approach it in a spirit of real enthusiasm," said Sandbrook. "We don't look down on people in the past. We just try to enjoy it, to relish the madness, the bonkers-ness of people."


This article, "Apple Announces 2025 Podcast of the Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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