Don't you think, that initially, the Mac had a performance advantage because it was integrated? i.e. The hardware details, OS, software was all carefully designed to give snappy performance, despite low specs.
But this lead didn't last long, and the picture you describe came about within a few years.
For Android/iPhone: as soon as the separate components become the source of performance (speed, battery life), rather than the intricate integration of them (SoC design, battery, display, OS, apps, appstore, toolchain, etc), then Android will win.
e.g. Currently, an Android with a faster processor is less snappy than an iPhone. But when processors are fast enough, the difference won't be noticeable - even if the iPhone is still faster.
My prediction is that if Apple can keep finding improvements that users care about (e.g. slimness, lightness etc) that offset gains in component performance, and benefit from how exactly it is all integrated, then it will retain leadership. I also think that this lead cannot last forever.
Apple doesn't expect it to - they'll be on to the next cool thing, where the benefits of integration again become crucial (e.g. the next smaller form-factor).
One thing that's different today is that ARM's SoC market itself is vibrant, and so the processor won't stagnate like the 680x0 did - even if Apple's internal team does stagnate, they can just buy another team (like how they got the A5 guys). They can even mix and match different components within the SoC. From what you're saying, this is what makes it different from round one.
But this lead didn't last long, and the picture you describe came about within a few years.
For Android/iPhone: as soon as the separate components become the source of performance (speed, battery life), rather than the intricate integration of them (SoC design, battery, display, OS, apps, appstore, toolchain, etc), then Android will win.
e.g. Currently, an Android with a faster processor is less snappy than an iPhone. But when processors are fast enough, the difference won't be noticeable - even if the iPhone is still faster.
My prediction is that if Apple can keep finding improvements that users care about (e.g. slimness, lightness etc) that offset gains in component performance, and benefit from how exactly it is all integrated, then it will retain leadership. I also think that this lead cannot last forever.
Apple doesn't expect it to - they'll be on to the next cool thing, where the benefits of integration again become crucial (e.g. the next smaller form-factor).
One thing that's different today is that ARM's SoC market itself is vibrant, and so the processor won't stagnate like the 680x0 did - even if Apple's internal team does stagnate, they can just buy another team (like how they got the A5 guys). They can even mix and match different components within the SoC. From what you're saying, this is what makes it different from round one.