Apple could shift its chip-making contracts to another company, possibly Intel, Noel Randewich and Nadia Damouni write in this analysis. With the choice of CEO Paul Otellini's successor close at hand, an Apple-Intel foundry deal might be a signal achievement for the new CEO, they note. Alex Gauna of JMP Securities said, "The new CEO will have a very large opportunity to take this to the next level. Those discussions about taking on Apple as a foundry customer are going to be very complex and very contentious." Apple and Intel declined to comment.