Intel Exec: We've Heard Apple Might Switch To ARM
Today, Intel exec Greg Welch told CNET that he's heard those rumors, too.
We hear the same rumors and it would be remiss of us to be dismissive. We endeavor to innovate so they'll continue to look to us as a supplier.
Welch is heading up Intel's $300 million Ultrabook program, where the chip maker will invest in hardware makers to help them build ultra-thin notebooks like the Macbook Air.
A couple weeks ago, he told the Wall Street Journal that Apple had actually threatened to dump Intel, but made it sound like that threat had been resolved when Intel released a roadmap to create more power-efficient chips over the next few years.
Apple already uses ARM designs in the iPad and iPhone, but switching to ARM for notebooks would be a big deal -- ARM processors have never been used in full-powered personal computers, and Apple just switched from the PowerPC architecture to Intel six years ago.
