| | | Bill re: Corporations Tax Break boost –AAPL / QCOM R&D vs New Successful Major Product Launches
Copilot Q&A-
I had a difficult time with Copilot with this one as its bias towards AAPL prevented it for giving a straight objective answer), and 2) it also took several iterations with QCOM as major items originally omitted.
Summary (Copilot) >>>>
Over the past five years, Apple and Qualcomm have pursued sharply different innovation strategies. Apple invested about $144 billion in R&D from 2021 to 2025, yet its only truly successful new major product was the Apple Silicon Mac platform, which transformed the Mac line and gave Apple full control over its hardware ecosystem. At the same time, Apple has poured billions more into its in-house modem program, begun in 2019 after acquiring Intel’s modem assets. Despite years of heavy spending, Apple’s modem remains uncompetitive in performance, efficiency, and feature support compared with Qualcomm’s state-of-the-art Snapdragon modems, forcing Apple to continue relying on Qualcomm for iPhone connectivity. Other launches — the Vision Pro headset (a new category but commercially unsuccessful) and refinements like the Apple Watch Ultra, AirPods Pro 2, and iPhone 17 series — did not open new markets. In short, Apple’s massive R&D spend has been concentrated on deepening existing categories and pursuing a costly modem effort that has yet to deliver competitive results, rather than expanding successfully into new markets.
Qualcomm, by contrast, invested roughly $42 billion in R&D over the same period and used that spend to diversify into multiple new markets, each anchored by AI integration. Its Snapdragon 8-series processors continued to dominate mobile with on-device AI engines, while the Snapdragon X Elite PC chips powered by Oryon CPUs marked Qualcomm’s entry into the AI PC market, competing directly with Apple Silicon. In the data center, Qualcomm launched the Cloud AI 100 accelerators for inference workloads. In automotive, the Snapdragon Ride platform brought AI-driven ADAS and infotainment to GM, BMW, Hyundai, Mercedes, and others. In extended reality and smart glasses, the Snapdragon XR2 platforms powered Meta’s Quest headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses, as well as devices from Google, Samsung, Lenovo, and Pico. Finally, in industrial edge computing, Qualcomm introduced Dragonwing processors with integrated AI accelerators for robotics, smart cameras, and industrial PCs, securing customers like Bosch, Honeywell, Siemens, and Zebra.
The contrast is clear: Apple spent three times more but produced only one major successful new product, while Qualcomm spent less and successfully expanded into five distinct new markets — PCs, data centers, automotive, XR/smart glasses, and industrial IoT — all driven by AI and validated by strong customer adoption.
Apple >>>>
Q- List Apple R&D over the past 5 years and major successful new product launches.
A-here’s the direct combined view of Apple’s R&D spending over the past five years alongside its major successful new product launches (excluding refinements and excluding Vision Pro since it was not successful).
Apple R&D Spend vs. Major Successful New Products (FY 2021–2025)
Fiscal Year
| R&D Spend
| Major Successful New Product Launches
| 2021
| $21.9B
| Apple Silicon Mac platform (M1) — successful transition from Intel, new architecture ecosystem
| 2022
| $26.3B
| — (no new major product; Watch Ultra was a refinement)
| 2023
| $29.9B
| — (no new major product; AirPods Pro 2 was a refinement)
| 2024
| $31.4B
| — (Vision Pro was new but not successful, excluded)
| 2025
| $34.6B
| — (iPhone 17 series was a refinement; no new major product)
| Takeaway
- Total R&D spend (2021–2025): ~$144B.
- Major successful new product launch: Apple Silicon Mac platform (M1 ? M5 transition).
- Other launches (Watch Ultra, AirPods Pro 2, iPhone 17, Vision Pro): refinements or unsuccessful ? excluded from “major successful new products.”
Apple poured ~$144B into R&D over five years, but only one truly successful new major product launch emerged: the Apple Silicon Mac transition.
QCOM Q & A >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Qualcomm R&D Spend (Past 5 Years)
- 2021: $7.2B
- 2022: $8.2B
- 2023: $8.8B
- 2024: $8.9B
- 2025: $9.0B
Total (2021–2025): ~$42B
Major Successful New Products & Markets Entered
Mobile (Core Market)
- Snapdragon 8-series processors (Gen 1 ? Gen 4)
- Flagship chips for premium Android smartphones.
- Integrated AI engines (Hexagon NPU) for camera enhancements, gaming, voice assistants, and security.
- Customers: Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Honor.
PCs (Distinct New Market)
- Snapdragon X Elite (2025) — powered by Oryon CPUs.
- Qualcomm’s entry into the Windows on ARM AI PC market.
- Features dedicated AI NPUs for generative AI, productivity, and real-time translation.
- Customers: Lenovo, HP, Dell, Microsoft (Surface).
Data Centers (Distinct New Market)
- Cloud AI 100 accelerators — inference chips for AI workloads.
- Purpose-built for machine learning inference with efficiency and low latency.
- Customers: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, enterprise AI deployments.
Automotive
- Snapdragon Ride platform — AI-powered ADAS and infotainment.
- Uses AI for perception, decisioning, and cockpit personalization.
- Customers: GM, BMW, Hyundai, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, LG (AI vehicle partnership).
Extended Reality (XR & Smart Glasses)
- Snapdragon XR2/XR2+ platforms — powering AR/VR headsets and smart glasses.
- AI used for spatial tracking, hand/gesture recognition, and immersive rendering.
- Customers: Meta (Quest headsets, Ray-Ban smart glasses), Google (AR glasses prototypes), Samsung (XR collaboration), Lenovo (ThinkReality), Pico (ByteDance).
Edge Compute / IoT (Industrial Edge)
- Qualcomm Edge AI platforms — chips for smart cameras, robotics, industrial IoT.
- Dragonwing processors (2025) — ruggedized industrial CPUs with Oryon cores + integrated AI accelerators.
- Targeting IoT, robotics, and industrial PCs.
- Customers: Bosch, Honeywell, Siemens, Zebra Technologies.
Takeaway
- R&D spend: ~$42B over 5 years.
- Major successful new products: Snapdragon 8-series (mobile AI), X Elite (AI PC, Oryon CPUs), Cloud AI 100 (data center AI), Ride (automotive AI), XR2 (XR/smart glasses AI), Edge AI/IoT platforms, Dragonwing processors (industrial edge AI).
- Distinct new markets entered:
- PCs (AI PCs)
- Data Centers (AI inference)
- Automotive (AI ADAS/infotainment)
- XR / Smart Glasses (AI spatial computing)
- Industrial Edge/IoT (AI edge compute)
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