Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:

Chip Choice: Sources in Asia say that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will use Qualcomm‘s (NASDAQ:QCOM) Snapdragon processors in a lower-priced iPhone, MacRumors notes. Reports have circulated for some months that Apple will release a cheaper iPhone to compete in emerging markets. The reports say that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) will make the chips using its 28nm production process. Different versions of the Snapdragon chips support either 3G or 4G/LTE connectivity. Apple will offer only 3G connectivity in the lower-cost iPhone as a way to reduce costs. However, other analysts predict that Apple will use its existing A6 chips in a cheaper iPhone as it transitions to the faster A7 chip in its upcoming iPhone 5S.

Air Use: If U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill has her way, airplane passengers will soon be able to use the iPads and other mobile devices during airplane takeoffs and landings, Politico notes. The senator from Missouri is preparing a law that would end the rule forcing fliers to shut down their mobile devices until after a plane takes off and once again as it prepares to land. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said it is reconsidering the rule, but McCaskill believes the agency is taking too long. The FAA is expected to make a decision sometime this year. McCaskill notes that the belief that such devices could interfere with airplane operations is “preposterous.”

Taking a Break: Apple allows its employees to leave the company for up to two years without losing seniority status, Business Insider notes. Employees who quit Apple, can return within two years without any diminution in their seniority, so long as they have worked for Apple for about 10 years prior to leaving. The company does not permit employees to take sabbaticals, so the two year policy allows them to try something new without risking their status at the company. Apple formerly permitted two-year sabbaticals, but found that employees often quit at the end of the two-year period. The late Steve Jobs banned sabbaticals after he rejoined the company.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.