Apple will continue to use ARM’s architecture for its chips to 2040 and perhaps beyond
Apple was one of the companies that helped found ARM in 1990 along with Acorn Computers and VLSI Technology. An ARM processor chip was used in Apple’s hand-held Newton Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). It’s hard to believe considering Apple’s more recent success starting with the iMac, but the Newton was a major crash landing for Apple. But while Newton flopped, ARM’s architecture, with its battery-sipping capabilities, became dominant in mobile phones.
The ARM IPO almost didn’t happen. Three years ago graphics chip maker Nvidia agreed to buy ARM for $40 billion. But Qualcomm and the FDA both sought to block the Nvidia-ARM deal and the regulatory hurdles were too high to overcome.
The average investor will probably not be able to get his or her hands on any ARM shares at the IPO price since it appears to be a hot issue. You might have to wait for the shares to start trading to take a position in ARM.