Apple had preliminary talks with SoftBank about bidding for ArmApple is not planning to pursue a bid.
What you need to know
SoftBank is selling its chip firm Arm Ltd.
Apple reportedly held preliminary talks with SoftBank about a possible acquisition.
Apple is not planning to pursue a bid.
A report claims that Apple held preliminary talks with SoftBank Group Corp. over the prospect of bidding for its chip design branch Arm Ltd.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman:
SoftBank Group Corp. approached Apple Inc. recently to gauge the iPhone maker's interest in bidding for chip design firm Arm Ltd., according to people familiar with the discussions.
The two firms had preliminary discussions, but Apple isn't planning to pursue a bid. Arm's licensing operation would fit poorly with Apple's hardware focused business model. There may also be regulatory concerns about Apple owning a key licensee that supplies so many rivals. Representatives from SoftBank and Apple declined to comment.
As the report notes, this would have been a mammoth acq...
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Apple had preliminary talks with SoftBank about bidding for Arm
