Your missing something.<p>Reading beyond the infographic, the article is really about how Apple is able to offset the need for R&amp;D dollars (which as expanded from $4b in 2013 to $8.5b in 2015) by being an overwhelming large consumer of components ($29b committed next year).<p>This causes the suppliers to invest heavily in R&amp;D to be able to &quot;wow&quot; Apple and lock up big contracts with their innovations, instead of Apple needing to do it directly.<p>The most interesting part to me is if this speaks to a counterpoint of the slow direction Apple appears to be taking moving more and more in house. This appears to indicate there is significant value by keeping key partners separate and in the free market, even with the lessened control of being a 3rd party.