ARM is now the dominant microprocessor architecture, a feat achieved through a combination of sharp engineering, a PC market failure, and an inspired business model pivot.
https://mondaynote.com/arm-the-32b-pivot-and-revolution-f4f5406f7735#.5bcygdno7
The ARMy virtuous cycle is so complete and dominating, they the dominate architecture in all things mobile and power and cost sensitive. In the exploding IoT market where price and power are king they will ship many more billions of CPUs too.
What is most hilarious the last three CEOs all knew about how the x86 virtuous cycle of volume and software made it unbeatable in the end dominating everything from cheap pcs to the high end severs. That old cycle of volume enabled Intel to beat IBM, DEC, and every other silicon manufacture.
That same virtuous cycle on the back of the billion ARMy of smartphones is enabling Samsung and TSMC to fund huge factories and silicon R&D and they will now beat Intel to the next node with that same play. How the last three CEOs, CRB, PSO and BK could be so blinded and gutless to respond as they needed will be a business case for the books just like Yahoo's or AOL's or Kodak's demise.
Sorry Steve Jobs...the iPhone is nothing more than a novelty and it will never catch on. Intel architecture is and will always be superior. Paul Otellini