wasn't apple recently trying to take over arm processors?

@windows7: it was just a rumor. there's not much strategic point in owning ARM itself, since they can already license ARM's technologies to be used in their products.

I think they may have also calculated that the effect of buying ARM to block its technology to their rivals is much too expensive (paying off legal fees, public backlash, gov't investigation, etc) than the diminishing benefit they may get out of it.

If Apple buys ARM, it’s going to be party night in Santa Clara (Intel HQ) and two years later we’d be all using Intel chips (except iPeople, obviously). But anyway, I would think Apple learned the ’niche CPU’ lesson with PowerPC processors and while may be eager to do custom jobs like the A4, it would not try to take on ARM as a whole, not because it can’t, but because it’s not worth it.

and because Apple wouldn't be able to, do you think if some company could just walk into Cambridge and buy ARM they would have done it by now? I can't really see any benefit buying such a company, if the only reason is to stop ARM licensing chips for other manufacturers then the company would die instantly. Many jobs would be lost and the company would stop functioning as it is.

I want it to be a 64-bit unicorn pony with 8 hooves!