Electronics Weekly Electronics Design & Components Tech News
With the rumours swirling around that Apple may buy ARM, it is worth remembering that Apple once controlled ARM.
In the late 1980s, it became clear that, if the ARM microprocessor was to become sufficiently widely used to be self-financing, it had to be spun off as a separate organisation.
“By the late 1980s it was clear that ARM could only survive outside Acorn and it was fortuitous that Apple wanted its own microprocessor”, says Hermann Hauser, Founder of Acorn Computers which developed the ARM microprocessor, now the boss of Amadeus Capital Partners..
Apple wanted the ARM microprocessor for a hand-held, pen-based computer called the Newton.
That requirement persuaded Apple into being one of the backers for a new company which would hold all the rights to ARM. The ARM engineers would continue to do the development work on the microprocessor..
The company was set up in 1990. Although Apple would use the ARM chip, the idea was that it should be made available, under licence, to anyone who wanted it.
The lesson had been learnt at Acorn that, in order to succeed, a product had to succeed on the world stage and, to do that, it had to become a global standard.
And it did.
And that is a very good reason that Apple will not buy ARM. If ARM was controlled by Apple, many of its competitors would start looking elsewhere.
I wouldn’t really say that Apple controlled ARM after it was spun off. If I recall correctly, Apple, Acorn each had 30% of the shares, with the remainder going to VLSI (then then only manufacturer of ARM processors) and other minor shareholders. 30% is not really a controlling share, but enough that Apple could get some of its wishes for the architecture through: An improved MMU, moving the flags from the PC to a separate register and a few other details.