Breaking Good: How Apple’s bet of ‘breaking up’ with Intel seems to have paid off – Times of India

Let’s take a look at the numbers first. The revenue from Mac is at an all-time high — in Q4 2020, Apple clocked $9 billion from the category, setting an all-time record. Not just that Mac shipments saw double-digit growth in every geographical segment in the world.
According to Strategy Analytica, Apple shipped 5.7 million Macs in the first calendar quarter of 2021 — a 94% increase from the same quarter last year.
In India, Apple recorded its biggest quarter for PC shipments with 335.5% YoY growth and 45.3% from the previous quarter, as per IDC.
The numbers, as they say, always tell a story and here the story is that Apple’s big bet on M1 — its own silicon processor — and ditching Intel seems to have done wonders.
It was around somewhere this time last year when Apple announced at WWDC 2020 that it will launch its own silicon processor which will power MacBook, iMac and Mac mini. The M1-powered devices arrived in November and in the last six months or so seem to have been on a roll.
Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Spring Loaded event in 2020 mentioned that M1 Macs are now outselling Intel-powered Macs.
It was a bold move to shift from a tried and tested formula. For years — at least till M1 arrived — Apple was using Intel’s processors in its devices. It was a partnership that suited both companies and it wasn’t as if Apple was lagging behind. The Mac — for all its highs — remains way behind Windows-based laptops. The likes of HP, Dell, Lenovo continue to outsell Apple globally because of the wide range of devices they have across the price range. The MacBook is still a premium product meant for a certain type of users.
For all of Mac’s growth in numbers, Apple and macOS still have 8.4% market share in OS, as per Strategy Analytica. Apple’s market share is still at 5.7% — one third compared to market leader Lenovo that has about 16.3% market share.
But the M1 processor is a big differentiator and seems to have been doing the trick for Apple. We used the M1 MacBook Air and in our review mentioned that anyone looking for a premium laptop would be delighted with the overall proposition.
What next for M1 and Apple?
Apple has already launched a new iMac with the M1 processor which the company would expect to add to the revenue from Mac. It’s not just Mac devices but the iPad Pro has also got an M1 processor. While Apple will continue to sell Intel-powered Mac devices for a while, it will be a matter of time for them to be discontinued. Apple is already working on the successor for M1 and it has been reported that it has entered mass production already. Apple will up the game with the successor for M1 and while it’s not known when devices powered by it will arrive, one thing is clear that breaking up with Intel seems to have paid for Tim Cook and co.