Regarding 64-bit/ARMv8: it was just the better choice, for many applications: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7335/the-iphone-5s-review/4 http://www.anandtech.com

Regarding 64-bit/ARMv8: it was just the better choice, for many applications: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7335/the-iphone-5s-review/4 http://www.anandtech.com/show/7335/the-iphone-5s-review/4 I don't see why it would be more complex coding, I'm pretty sure the move to ARMv8 was transparent to most developers (as it should be). They use the best of Imagination because of the ambitious goals, and because no one is even trying to push the boundaries; I'm not sure they have exclusivity on the designs, they just have a better SoC integration team, while TI choked on OMAP5 after the years of delay. Another bet for which they were the first: UFS PCIe storage, on mobile. The storage performance crushes all competition, it's sad. Honestly, most people don't know what a SoC is, so no, it's not a marketing ploy, even if Apple is marketing company. It's a (huge) technical bet.