ARM: Apple Rumors "Complete Nonsensical"

ARM has dismissed rumors of an acquisition by Apple as "completely nonsensical," and says that while Intel may make more money from their chips, ARM's customers are well ahead in sheer numbers.  Speaking to the NYTimes, ARM CEO Warren East said that "our customers sell about 4 billion chips a year," and that he "laughed about" the takeover rumors "with the folks at Apple."  When it comes to the ARM/Intel battle, though, he's more serious: "We don't look like Intel, we're never going to be a $100 billion outfit."

In fact, East dismisses the idea of a "David and Goliath" fight between his company and Intel, blaming commentators and press for attempting to hype the division between the two firms.  "We evolved under ... low-power pressures," says ARM VP of research Krisztian Flautner, "it set us on a different evolutionary path."

That path chases the lowest possible power consumption rather than the highest possible performance, a tactic that has seen ARM take pole position in the smartphone and ultramobile device market.  Intel, meanwhile, has been left playing catch-up, with the company's own low-power Moorestown platform well demonstrated but not yet on the market.

[via ARMDevices]