"We don't comment on Apple."

After asking a follow-up question, he responded with:

"We don't comment on Apple. Full stop."

Though ARM is extraordinarily well versed in showing its partners equal favor in the public eye, we've never been met with such a terse, immovable response regarding other major architectural licensees like Qualcomm, TI, and Nvidia (among others). The fact that Apple demands its component providers and IP partners remain utterly silent is nothing new — the use of Corning's Gorilla Glass is another prime example — but it underscores a significant philosophical change since the start of Steve Jobs' second stint: the product is simply Apple's, through and through. There is no one else.

It's a far cry from the heady Newton days, when ARM's logo was prominently featured on the side of the box.