[EricE]

I think Apple would have been perfectly happy buying CPUs from Intel as long as Intel kept their end of the bargain up.

After the PowerPC fiasco and IBM leaving Apple high and dry, I have zero doubt that there was a contingency plan always under way before the ink even dried on the PA Semi acquisition, but it wasn't probably a concrete strategy until about the third time in a row Intel left Apple high and dry on a bed of empty promises.

Apple has so much experience with processor transitions they don't have to stay on ARM either. And they have the capital to move somewhere else if it makes enough sense to them. I find it highly unlikely - but if it made sense it would be highly probable :)

[bombcar]

I actually wonder if the end-game isn't going to be a Intel/M1 hybrid on the high-end ... a system with multiple chips and architectures.

[jshmrsn]

That sounds terribly complicated.