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UK Chip Designer ARM to Be Acquired by Japan's Softbank for $31.4B
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The A7 features an Apple-designed[2] 64-bit[5] 1.3[2]–1.4[3] GHz ARMv8-A[4][6]dual-core CPU,[2] calledCyclone.[4] The ARMv8-A instruction set doubles the number of registers of the A7 compared to the ARMv7 used in A6.[13] It has 31 general purpose registers that are each 64-bits wide and 32 floating-point/NEON registers that are each 128-bits wide.[5]
See the word "ARM" in there..... but but but they scream, Apple designs and makes their chips from scratch
See the word "ARM" in there..... but but but they scream, Apple designs and makes their chips from scratch
"We just bought this chip company"
"Oh yeah? How much it cost you?"
"An ARM and a leg."
I'll let myself out.
"Oh yeah? How much it cost you?"
"An ARM and a leg."
I'll let myself out.
Apple don't 'order' anything from ARM, ever. Apple design their own chips in-house using the ARM microarchitecture. Then a company like Samsung will manufacture the chips.
The A7 features an Apple-designed[2] 64-bit[5] 1.3[2]–1.4[3] GHz ARMv8-A[4][6]dual-core CPU,[2] calledCyclone.[4] The ARMv8-A instruction set doubles the number of registers of the A7 compared to the ARMv7 used in A6.[13] It has 31 general purpose registers that are each 64-bits wide and 32 floating-point/NEON registers that are each 128-bits wide.[5]
See the word "ARM" in there..... but but but they scream, Apple designs and makes their chips from scratch
Please. Stop. Digging.
The A7 features an Apple-designed[2] 64-bit[5] 1.3[2]–1.4[3] GHz ARMv8-A[4][6]dual-core CPU,[2] calledCyclone.[4] The ARMv8-A instruction set doubles the number of registers of the A7 compared to the ARMv7 used in A6.[13] It has 31 general purpose registers that are each 64-bits wide and 32 floating-point/NEON registers that are each 128-bits wide.[5]
See the word "ARM" in there..... but but but they scream, Apple designs and makes their chips from scratch
We also have the people who believe Apple produces these ARM chips themselves that are designed by Apple.
At some point the pin will drop that Apple only designs the chips based on ARM architecture and has Samsung and TSMC produce them...but apart from that, it's all Apple produced and owned
A relationship that benefits Apple, ARM and the suppliers
Mis-typed but they would have no say in it. Apple would be able to do as they wish.
Maybe they are taking an investment gamble, expecting all Apple devices (idevices and notebooks) to move towards ARM ditching Intel .
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The only Brexit angle here is ARM selling before the impact of brexit hits UK companies , be it positive or negative.
Samsung or TSMC produce the actual chips for Apple, so these are not sold from the U.K.
My theory is all the other devices that will make up 99% of the ARM license sales, the sales of the current Apple lineup that is currently using Intel is obvious to small to base the ARM buyout on
I think you have a point. It's not like Apple is trying very hard with its desktop and notebook range, it's all idevices
When Cadbury's was bought up recently by some foreign investor they stated to the Government committee involved, that the Company would stay based in the UK and that jobs were secure. Now they produce the majority of the product line in easter europe and the traditional Burnsville site is being left to flounder.
ARM was the jewel in the crown for the UK IT industry, and no doubt now it will be bled dry and end up as past of some faceless international conglomerate. Promises are easily broken when money talks.
Such a shame. Steve Jobs must be turning in his grave.
ARM was the jewel in the crown for the UK IT industry, and no doubt now it will be bled dry and end up as past of some faceless international conglomerate. Promises are easily broken when money talks.
Such a shame. Steve Jobs must be turning in his grave.
And even if the regulators let it pass it would still have been a bad move. It would become the next powerPC chip. Once it belongs to Apple, no one will use the technology and the development process will slow and other chipmakers like Intel move ahead. It is better I think to leave the chip design as an open architecture that others use (including Intel) and then add the Apple secret sauce for its devices (the sauce is not so secret lately and could use a refreshed recipe, but that is for a different discussion I think).
Sometimes I wonder what Apple does all day.
All that cash and all they can think of is buying back shares.
Here's what Apple should be doing with that cash to diversify and not rely so much on iPhone:
Purchase ARM, Sonos, Fitbit, Nest, GoPro, and Pixelmator.
Two of those companies already been snapped up.
But, share buybacks are more important since that increases Tim Cook's wealth. He's robbing this company blind.
All that cash and all they can think of is buying back shares.
Here's what Apple should be doing with that cash to diversify and not rely so much on iPhone:
Purchase ARM, Sonos, Fitbit, Nest, GoPro, and Pixelmator.
Two of those companies already been snapped up.
But, share buybacks are more important since that increases Tim Cook's wealth. He's robbing this company blind.
Given how critical ARM to the industry I wonder whether the better solution would turn it into a non-profit foundation that relies on royalties because god knows it would be nice to see a movement away from x86 in favour of an open standard ISA that avoids the sort of wrangling that takes place between Intel and AMD on the CPU front. Personally I think that the market would be a lot more vibrant with a move to an open ISA that isn't controlled by a commercial entity which will mean it'll open up the market to lots of different vendors offering compatible implementations etc.
Personally I'd ove to see Apple buy out OmniGroup, Pixelmator, Quark and EndNote (integrate it into Pages/Numbers/Keynote) along with really pumping resource into Final Cut Pro x/Compressor/Motion and create a coherent alternative to what Adobe is offering along with refreshing their Mac Pro line up - Apple becomes the 'one stop shop' for all your professional needs, be it software, hardware or both.
Personally I'd ove to see Apple buy out OmniGroup, Pixelmator, Quark and EndNote (integrate it into Pages/Numbers/Keynote) along with really pumping resource into Final Cut Pro x/Compressor/Motion and create a coherent alternative to what Adobe is offering along with refreshing their Mac Pro line up - Apple becomes the 'one stop shop' for all your professional needs, be it software, hardware or both.
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Don't be the watch bands guy.
Are there any companies left in the world not acquired yet ?
I dunno, but isn't it rare when one company acquires another things do not change ? That is, all the 'key' people stay around, and nothing changes to how it operates ? Your always gonna get changes here and there.
Maybe a performance decrease or something.
I dunno, but isn't it rare when one company acquires another things do not change ? That is, all the 'key' people stay around, and nothing changes to how it operates ? Your always gonna get changes here and there.
Maybe a performance decrease or something.
Thankfully, you are not running Apple.
Nest was a dud for Google, and GoPro... one trick pony. Pixelmator???
Also, Apple buys an average of 10 companies every quarter.
Finally, Apple is a very diversified company. To have the most successful product in history in their lineup is not a negative, even if it makes the rest look little as in an optical illusion. Apple services are as big as the whole Facebook, for example. And the Apple Watch is bigger than Rolex.
Not quite true. Apple licenses the ISA (instruction set architecture) from ARM. Apple designs their own microarchitrcture, a far more difficult task.