Filippo signed on in May. He's working in Austin, a known hub for Apple's semiconductor plans.

His experience bodes well for many Apple products, since Apple uses ARM-based chips not just as the heart of its mobile hardware, but as companions in Macs. You could see iPhones and iPads that continue to push boundaries. However, he may play a crucial role in expanding Apple's use of custom processing power. The company is rumored to be making custom ARM processors for Macs, not to mention an augmented reality headset. Both of those will need both a lot of computing power and exceptional battery life, and Filippo could help Apple achieve those goals.