I think it’s an interesting comparison. Sadly, my retort will be boring: Intel was great, but they were no Apple.

What I think a lot of people overlook is that if there was no iPhone, Apple would have several other businesses that would be considered absolute blockbusters. iPad. Mac. Now “Services.” And yes, probably even Apple Watch. I’ll leave it to someone else to do the math, but those combined would be a massive, massive business in its own right, because each of them by themselves would be!

The unparalleled success of the iPhone as a business has put Apple in a bind. Which is crazy, but true. It seems unlikely they’ll ever be able to come up with something that can match it — because no one else ever has.

Intel is a great company that has had great success. And their slow decline is definitely worth thinking about in this context. But Apple has been playing this game at a different level. Unfortunately for them, it seems!