It seems something’s sprouting at Apple.
The consumer electronics company has big plans for the Maxim Integrated Products fabrication building it bought back in December. The San Jose, California, fab has seen a steady shipment of new equipment, suggesting Apple’s sees the $18.2 million manufacturing facility as a short-term priority.
That’s according to Apple Insider, which today posted a number of photos taken outside the 70,000 square-foot building, reportedly referred to by employees as “Athena.” Shipments of equipment, wrapped in anti-static foil and labeled “delicate instruments,” have become routine at the facility in the months since Apple acquired it.
This activity suggests that Apple plans to put the facility to work, but for what is far from certain. Apple designs the processors in its mobile devices, but it contracts the actual manufacturing out to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Samsung.
It’s long been rumored that Apple will take the hardware manufacturing in-house, but the limited floor space of this facility doesn’t suggest that. It could be used as a testing ground for processor designs, but that would take significant upgrades.
Maxim Integrated Products used the space to manufacture micro-electromechanical system sensors, or MEMS. This field includes various tiny sensors, from accelerometers to barometers to medical sensors. AppleInsider speculated that the space could be useful for prototyping advanced antennas, ResearchKit sensors for things like blood sugar, or even wireless charging.
Or maybe they’re just messing with the neighbors’ heads.
The facility next door is owned by none other than Samsung, meaning employees of Apple’s chief rival in the smartphone market are seeing all that equipment being trucked in, wondering what Apple might be up to. Is it all a ruse to drive them nuts?
Probably not, but we can’t really say for sure what Apple intends to do with the space, because the famously secretive company isn’t saying. We’ll let you know if we learn more, though.
Apple has unveiled a new iMac and a 14-inch MacBook Pro, both powered by its new baseline M6 chip. If you’ve been eyeing either device, now is the time to act, as entry-level configurations are becoming harder to get with each product launch.
The devices will be open for pre-order Wednesday, October 28, 2026, from 10:10 AM PT. Meanwhile, deliveries and store stock will arrive on Friday, November 6.
If you make videos, edit photos, or produce music on your Mac, Apple has some good news for you. The company has announced a major update to Apple Creator Studio, packed with new effects and smarter tools. It will arrive on the App Store in November as a free update for existing subscribers.
How does it make video editing easier?
Apple just launched a new entry-level configuration of the 14-inch MacBook Pro.
Even though the design and core hardware are identical, it gets the new M6 processor, which is also debuting in today's iMac refresh.