Apple to buy ARM?

[Admin]

I see this as a bad thing for us . . . but then again, does ARM only want one customer?

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/04/22/1228228/Apple-To-Buy-ARM?art_pos=5

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23826703-city-aflame-with-takeover-talk-of-arm-and-xstrata.do

[dunk]

will they paint them all white and double the price?

joking aside,
i don't think Apple could restrict the market to other hardware vendors too much without stifling ARMs development.
many of the current ARM cores were developed by licensees of ARM technology rather than by the ARM parent company.

Apple currently only use a tiny percentage of the ARM cores sold so unless they are willing to kill their investment and leave themselves without developers of future processors.


from a strategic point it is very interesting though.
most modern phones are using an ARM processor.
if WikipediA are to be believed: "As of 2007, about 98 percent of the more than one billion mobile phones sold each year use at least one ARM processor." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_architecture

Apple currently have a nice section of the top end phone and hand-held device market.
if Apple buy ARM they will have a hand in 98 percent of the entire mobile phone market.

why worry about Android if you can just buy the company that makes the parts and have a share of the profits?


dunk.

[chelmi]

many of the current ARM cores were developed by licensees of ARM technology rather than by the ARM parent company.

I'm not sure to understand. Licensees develop system-on-chips around ARM cores. But ARM cores are still designed by ARM itself AFAIK.

But I agree with you, there is too much money to make for Apple to just stop selling cores to other hardware companies. Anyway even if they buy ARM, they still need somebody to design the actual chip.

[Ryltar]

I just see this as another attempt by Apple to control everything they can related to their devices. I don't like it to say the least.

[blackbeard]

i'm ok with that. that's when intel launches the next gen atoms built for cell phones allowing you to use x86 programs.

[Webbot]

This would be a sad end to the people who originally bought us the 'BBC Micro'.

[Admin]

Bidding wars with Microsoft?
http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/processors/is-microsoft-looking-to-dominate-wireless-with-strong-arm-tactics

[Hawaii00000]

Not sure I get this. Is everyone worried because they think Apple might kill Android and make other phones more expensive? 

[madsci1016]

I see this as a bad thing for us

I see anything involving Apple as a bad thing. 

[chelmi]

Not sure I get this. Is everyone worried because they think Apple might kill Android and make other phones more expensive? 

It was just a rumor, nothing more.

[Admin]

I'm worried because ARMs are the future for robot microcontrollers (I think) . . . and ARMs designed specifically for phones isn't good, as phones don't use the same I/O as what we need for robots.

And you don't want Apple (or anyone) placing artificial barriers and proprietary software on ARM controllers . . .

[Hawaii00000]

So ARM produces chips just like AVR, right?

[Razor Concepts]

I think all they do is publish specifications on CPUs, and manufacturers take those (since they are really good), and package them into microcontrollers. So thats why TI, NXP, and ST all have "ARM" microcontrollers - all based on the ARM core

Control over ARM could mean the best ARM core designs are only sold to certain companies...

[chelmi]

I think all they do is publish specifications on CPUs, and manufacturers take those (since they are really good), and package them into microcontrollers. So thats why TI, NXP, and ST all have "ARM" microcontrollers - all based on the ARM core

Control over ARM could mean the best ARM core designs are only sold to certain companies...

Actually they do more than publishing the spec. They license the use a block (called IP for Intellectual Property) they implemented to third parties, like the vendor you mentioned. These vendor only see the interface of the block, it's content is opaque (to keep the implementation secret) but can use it to synthesize their design. In a way it's similar to a binary version of a software library.

Anyway, from what I've heard this rumor was not taken very seriously in the industry. Their are so much money at stake that ARM would have find partners to counter to counter the takeover. I'm not a finance guy, but I'm pretty sure there are ways to do that.

[macdad-]

I just see this as another attempt by Apple to control everything they can related to their devices. I don't like it to say the least.

Greed via Apple/Investors, helpful technology being taken over for profits. Robotics will be more expensive than ever in the future. 
Apple already has a toehold on Windows, Linux users, you are fortunate.

i'm ok with that. that's when intel launches the next gen atoms built for cell phones allowing you to use x86 programs.

A possible hope...

[chelmi]

i'm ok with that. that's when intel launches the next gen atoms built for cell phones allowing you to use x86 programs.

A possible hope...

What's the point of having an infective architecture like the x86 when we already have a perfectly fine one?
I really hope x86 will stay out of the embedded world. Anyway, I doubt this is the market intel is after.

[macdad-]

What's the point of having an infective architecture like the x86 when we already have a perfectly fine one?
I really hope x86 will stay out of the embedded world. Anyway, I doubt this is the market intel is after.

Good point.