Apple gave Intel a shot with iPhone chips, but they failed to impress Tim Cook: per TSMC - 9to5Mac

TSMC is a major Apple partner, producing chips for its many hundreds of millions of new devices each year. But per the company’s founder, there was once a time when Intel got a shot at iPhone chip production, and failed to impress.

TSMC’s founder ‘wasn’t worried’ about iPhone chip threat from Intel

In a new interview on the Acquired podcast, TSMC founder Morris Chang discusses—among many other things—the history of the company’s partnership with Apple.

One of the most interesting exchanges has to do with a period in February 2011 when Apple reportedly considered giving Intel some of its iPhone chip production business.

At the time, Intel still made chips for the Mac. But its iPhone trial phase reportedly left CEO Tim Cook unimpressed.

Chang recalls speaking to Jeff Williams at the time, who told him, “We need to pause our discussions for two months because the highest level of Intel has approached Tim Cook and has asked Tim Cook to consider Intel.”

Chang explains, “Jeff Williams was talking about the iPhone.” Then he goes on:

So that was all he said, and I wasn’t all that worried because in 2011, Intel was no longer a name that you would, when you hear it, you would stand up and bow…I of course had to accept Jeff Williams’ request, but again…I wasn’t all that worried.

Later, Cook reportedly had lunch with Chang at Apple’s campus where he told him, “There’s nothing to worry about” because Intel doesn’t know how to be a foundry. Chang called this answer “very short, but very satisfactory to me.”

Chang also shared that his understanding of Intel’s reputation with customers was not strong at the time:

Before Apple became our customer, I knew a lot of Intel’s customers in Taiwan—you know, all the PC makers are Intel’s customers. None of them liked Intel. Intel always acted like they were the only guy.

Later he said that out of the Intel customers he knew, “they all wished there were another supplier.”

You can watch the full interview here.

What do you make of Chang’s comments about Intel possibly making iPhone chips? Let us know in the comments.