&gt; Apple isn&#x27;t dependent on anyone for ship dates in the ARM space -- they license the ISA, but they design their own chips based on the license. [...] I don&#x27;t see how replacing ARM with a custom ISA helps Apple any.<p>Well, what if the time comes when ARM cannot deliver processor designs with necessary improvements to power consumption or processing speed? If they hit that wall, a new processor architecture might be the only way forward.<p>Given Apple&#x27;s resources and position, that kind of contingency planning makes sense to me. You can&#x27;t exactly spin up a architecture design team overnight.