ApplePoor

The "new" iPad Air keyboard design is very similar to the design of my M4 11" iPad Pro keyboard design. Should have not required a lot of design work.

Apple's goal is complete vertical integration. Best example is Ford's Rouge Plant in Detroit where the iron ore from the far end of Lake Superior arrived by ship arrived at one end of the plant and a finished vehicle came out the other end. Little outside products are used to make the finished product.

So Apple is tooling up to make their own modems (which may also be used elsewhere like in their future computers and iPads) and their own versions of the Bluetooth and WiFi chips. Their economies of scale production would increase their new profits over time by not paying others to build the same products.

Today's world is "just in time inventory" so the car production line stops if the ashtray is delayed or a door comes in the wrong color.... I remember in the late 90s a Chrysler/Dodge mini van came in. One side had the Dodge trim and other side had the more up market Chrysler trim. I never did understand how that car made it out of the factory, onto a truck and then to the dealership.

The issue for Apple is there is no one else to blame now for delays or screw ups. They write the operating system and ancillary programs and design the products said programs are to operate there on. Software seems  to be basically created outside of China and production of the hardware is off shore except for a few small items. They select the manufacturer who only builds to Apple's specifications.

TSMC makes chips and processes the wafer to create the individual A series or M series chips and sends them to FoxCon in China (or wherever the plant in question is located).

So the big interface is between the software designers and the hardware designers so the special tidbits for function A are also designed into Chip Series A or M or both so the big new thing works. Lots of holes in the floor where a few "bits" could get dropped and the whole deal fails....

Just did the math on the Apple website and the 15" M3 MBAir (24GB ram and 2 TB SSD)  cost is $2,299.00 before taxes and Apple Care, The same specs for a 14" MBPro M4 are available for $2,399.00 before taxes and Apple care.

So for just $100 more one gets a better screen (with option for a nano screen at more cost) and more ports. 

Since the M3 was a real challenge to make, I wonder if the M2 models will continue as the low cast versions when the M4 chips are installed? They could just ignore the fact of the M3 existence.