Speaking at a press briefing to honor Intel’s 40th anniversary, Patrick Gelsinger, general manager of the company’s digital enterprise group, expressed disappointment over Apple’s decision to eschew Intel’s Atom platform in future phones and digital media devices in favor of custom chips designed in-house with the help of recently-acquired P.A. Semi. “Apple chose not to take that road map at their next generation of platform,” said Gelsinger. “That was disappointing.” In June Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed in an interview that P.A. Semi would build chips for both the iPhone and iPod, putting to rest speculation over why Apple acquired the chipmaker. Earlier reports, including one based on a quote from an Intel executive, had suggested that Apple planned to use an Atom processor inside an as-yet-unreleased deluxe iPhone.
Charles Starrett was a senior editor at iLounge. He's been covering the iPod, iPhone, and iPad since their inception. He has written numerous articles and reviews, and his work has been featured in multiple publications.