The Genius in Apple's Vertical Platform

It’s pretty evident that Apple isn’t wed to individual suppliers. Not only are they back to creating their own chips, but they are also one of the only 'compute' companies to have used each of the top 3 processor architectures over time—ARM, x86, and Power PC. Apple's DNA in this area is untouchable, helping it to innovate at the confluence of software and hardware. There’s a reason why pinching and zooming on the iPad is snappier than anything people have ever seen, and it’s not entirely clear whether the software or hardware plays the larger part. via The Genius in Apple's Vertical Platform - steve's blog.