I would argue Apple doesn't exactly "push engineering to the limits." That is the role of companies like Intel, nVidia, AMD, ARM, to name a few. Apple is precis

I would argue Apple doesn't exactly "push engineering to the limits." That is the role of companies like Intel, nVidia, AMD, ARM, to name a few. Apple is precisely in the business the author describes, of tailoring the technology of those other companies to best fit the mass market of consumers. This is not to say Apple doesn't design and engineer either. Just not in the traditional sense. Apple engineered and designed OSX to take advantage of the cutting edge hardware they source from other more traditional "engineering" companies. Apple designs and engineers the retail experience, online and in-store, to better sell those products. Apple designs new and innovative ways to combine existing technology into innovative new products like the iPod, iPhone, iPad. But the real differentiator is the vision behind their actions. While Intel, nVidia, ARM battle to make the faster, stronger, cheaper, more power-efficient processors; Apple is asking "how do we make listening to music more enjoyable?" (iPod), "how do we make our 'smart'phones less annoying?" (iPhone), and "how do we make computers that actually get out of our way, so we can get our work done faster, and go home to our friends and families?" (Macs). The difference is in the driving questions behind their actions. The answers might still be provided by people we call engineers and designers, but they are definitely not the same kind of engineers as the ones at Intel creating the next generation processor architecture.