• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

Imagination Tech Slams Apple for ‘Unsubstantiated Assertions’

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 5, 2017, 11:13 AM ET

An Apple supplier that saw its business rocked by the iPhone maker’s plans to take its business elsewhere has fired back.

In an annual report filing on Tuesday, Imagination Technologies chairman Peter Hill called Apple’s announcement of plans to no longer use the U.K. company’s technology in its iPhones “highly regrettable.” CEO Andrew Heath called Apple’s move “unsubstantiated assertions” that have ultimately forced the company to change its tack. The “unsubstantiated assertions” ostensibly refer to Apple saying it would design replacement technology without providing proof of such a product.

With no apparent warning, Apple in April announced that it would stop using Imagination Technologies in the processor that powers its iPhones, and would therefore end its royalty payments to the company within the next two years. Soon after, Imagination Technologies shares plummeted more than 70%.

For years, Apple (AAPL) has relied upon Imagination Technologies (IGNMF) to power the graphics performance in its iPhone’s onboard processor. Apple accounts for about half of Imagination Technologies’ revenue, and the iPhone maker holds an 8% stake in the U.K. company. When Apple announced the move in April, analysts at Investec said that “the biggest risk to Imagination’s business model was realized.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Apple said at the time that it would develop its own graphics chips to bundle with its iPhones.

Imagination in April responded by saying that it doubted Apple could develop its own graphics chips without violating the U.K. firm’s intellectual property. In May, Imagination said that it started a “dispute resolution procedure” to avoid lawsuits.

Still, those efforts have done little to mitigate Imagination’s problems, and the company in June announced that it was putting its business up for sale.

Imagination’s leaders were defiant in the annual report, saying that they still believe Apple would violate the company’s patents if the iPhone maker moves forward with its own chips. They acknowledged, however, that the dispute resolution hasn’t yielded any results, and the company is still up for sale.

Apple did not respond to a Fortune request for comment on Imagination’s comments.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Future of WorkElon Musk
Elon Musk says saving for retirement is irrelevant because AI is going to create a world of abundance: ‘It won’t matter’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJanuary 12, 2026
16 hours ago
vervet
LawAnimals
Monkeys are on the loose in St. Louis, and AI-generated jokes are just slowing down animal control’s primate chase
By Heather Hollingsworth and The Associated PressJanuary 12, 2026
18 hours ago
google
AIApple
‘Apple Intelligence,’ powered by Gemini, marks a ‘major validation moment for Google,’ top tech analyst says
By Michael Liedtke and The Associated PressJanuary 12, 2026
18 hours ago
grok
AISocial Media
Grok blocked in Malaysia and Indonesia as sexual deepfake scandal builds
By Eileen Ng, Edna Tarigan and The Associated PressJanuary 12, 2026
18 hours ago
AIunemployment
‘Godfather of AI’ says the technology will create massive unemployment and send profits soaring — ‘that is the capitalist system’
By Jason MaJanuary 12, 2026
19 hours ago
Cryptocftc
An anonymous Polymarket trader made $400,000 betting on Maduro’s downfall—and now Washington wants answers
By Leo SchwartzJanuary 12, 2026
20 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Treasury spent $276 billion in interest on the national debt in the final three months of 2025, says the CBO—up $30 billion from a year prior
By Eleanor PringleJanuary 12, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
‘Sell America’: Investors dump U.S. assets in fear of the end of Fed independence
By Jim EdwardsJanuary 12, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
An exec at $62 billion giant Colgate says Gen Z workers, despite getting flak for being woke and lazy, are actually ‘pushing us to get better’
By Emma BurleighJanuary 10, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
This CEO laid off nearly 80% of his staff because they refused to adopt AI fast enough. 2 years later, he says he'd do it again
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 11, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
I run one of America's most successful remote work programs and the critics are right. Their solutions are all wrong, though
By Justin HarlanJanuary 11, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
A Supreme Court ruling that strikes down Trump's tariffs would be the fastest way to revive the stalling job market, top economist says
By Jason MaJanuary 11, 2026
2 days ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.