An extra note, since Apple is a big customers in buying PPC chips and one of the party responsible for the creation of the PPC chips, I think that Apple got a very big discount when they bought PPC chips. I don't know the exact discount that Apple got, but a few years ago, I heard that might even go so far of over 75%?
So... Maybe a U$160 chip only cost Apple around U$40 or even less?
Note: When one could buy chips as cheap as these, I think that it would take quit a heavy measure for Apple to switch from PPC to something else for their main chips in their main products.
As for die size.
Yes. it's quite an important factor. I think that at one time, Apple (and Motorola) once showed to the public, a comparison of how many PPC chips they could made in a single wafer, incomparison of x86 chip.
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Die Size plays a huge part as well as yield.
G4's are not much more expensive than G3's although the rumor has persisted that somehow putting a G3 in a computer will drastically lower the cost.
So... Maybe a U$160 chip only cost Apple around U$40 or even less?
Note: When one could buy chips as cheap as these, I think that it would take quit a heavy measure for Apple to switch from PPC to something else for their main chips in their main products.
As for die size.
Yes. it's quite an important factor. I think that at one time, Apple (and Motorola) once showed to the public, a comparison of how many PPC chips they could made in a single wafer, incomparison of x86 chip.