It’s funny you say “innovate.” They certainly innovated with the M1, but with one key difference. They did so in public, step-by-step over the course of a decade.
Perhaps more than any other Apple innovation, we have the greatest visibility into the process with the M1.
I consider ability to perform open development of future products a key differentiator for Apple.
Like Jobs said in his Stanford speech, “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”
It seems like Apple uniquely combines open development of technology in known products with secrecy around new product development.
This allows people to be so surprised by the M1, when the late AX processors were obviously pointing toward massive capability.
I believe there are other examples of this happening--specifically with the Apple Watch.
On that product, the size limitations combined with increasing expectations of performance and functionality have allowed Apple learn and improve production-capability in many areas that will be in any forthcoming AR/VR products.
When the M1 first came out I was super super skeptical, seemed like an under powered chip compared to what's in the x86 world.
Now I'm convinced that it's got some magic inside it. Everyone I've talked to said it chews throw whatever they throw at it.
I'm consistently floored by Apple's ability to innovate.