Tim Cook reveals how Apple decides on making its own parts
Apple has its fair share of product or service failures, last of which is the discontinued OG HomePod, but when it comes to the ungrateful component supply industry, it rarely misses the mark.
Freshest among the examples is its latest M1 processor that is now used for Macs and iPads and is unsurpassed as a power/performance ratio, just like the iPhone's A-series processors. Apple also recently worked with Corning to develop the exclusive Ceramic Shield cover glass on its iPhone 12 series that makes them drop-resistant to the point of constantly showcasing this in various ads many months after the iPhone 12 announcement.
When asked during the quarterly results Q&A with investors how does Apple decide if it is feasible to make its own components, CEO Tim Cook simply answered "if we can do something better."
That's it, that's the whole strategy, and apparently Apple isn't entering markets where it can't compete, it simply buys them. We kid, but that's the gist of Tim cook's full answer:
If we can deliver a better product. If we can buy something in the market and it's great and it's as good as what we can do, we're going to buy it. We'll only enter where we have an ability to do something better and therefore make a better product for the user.
That strategy seems to work well so far, and the overall response to the M1 chip has been "unbelievable," said Cook (much to the chagrin of Intel, of course), so if Apple sees that it can do better than what's out there with its own resources, it grabs the opportunity.
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