Opinion: Apple should build a fab

Mark LaPedus, EETimes
8/26/2010 5:29 PM EDT

Apple should think about building a wafer fab. I'm not joking or merely trying to be provocative. I'd even bet that Steve Jobs has flirted with the idea.

Apple should consider—and I mean just consider—building its own fab to make the A4 (the engine for the iPad and iPhone) and follow-on processors. And at some point, an Apple-owned fab might be a necessary evil.

Fabs, of course, are expensive, and for years Apple has done fine without one. As a traditional OEM, Apple bought components, integrated them into systems and sold the finished products, content to let its chip suppliers shoulder the fab burden. Why mess with the formula?

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