Apple relationship with Intel goes far beyond ads mocking the chipmaker, and a high-profile CPU shift in 2006. Here are all the ups and downs in Apple and Intel's relationship going back over 40 years.
Apple is currently in the middle of its Apple Silicon era, using its own-designed chips in its Mac lineup and other products. Before Apple Silicon, it relied on Intel to provide processors for its Macs.
There's a chance that it could happen again.
That was a relationship that spanned multiple decades, from Apple's 68000-series processor days, through PowerPC, all the way to the release of the first M1 chip under Apple Silicon.
It was one that was profitable for both sides, but also turbulent at times. Ultimately, directly or indirectly, Intel is one of the reasons why Apple's Mac lineup is the powerhouse that it is now in May 2026.
Early fumbles
The Apple-Intel story starts back in 1985. After co-founder Steve Jobs had left the company, there was a proposal to shift Apple away from the Motorola 68000 series, and onto Intel chips.
Apple leadership shot that down. Instead, it was an idea that stuck around in the background, waiting to resurface. The next effort didn't wait 40 years to 2026.
That next time turned out to be just a few years later, in 1992, with the wildly popular release of Microsoft Windows 3.1. The operating system was a serious threat to Apple and Novell, with the latter fearing potential issues with NetWare.
For Apple, Windows served as a different danger. Windows PCs were cheaper for corporate customers and consumers to buy versus Macs. And, a WYSIWYG graphical interface changed everything for users who were still shifting away from Linotype typesetting machines, and typewriters.
Novell's initial response was to modernize Digital Research's GEM, a GUI for the Atari ST, and to make it a rival operating system to Windows. That project was canned due to what they saw as a risk of being sued by Apple.
Darrell Miller,…