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Not so. Apple's new mobile processors are routinely the fastest processors in the world (single threaded) when they come out. The A17 pro is currently the 17th fastest CPU, and the M3 (which is in MacBook airs and iPads) is number 2.

Sure these don't have the scope or number of transistors of like an NVIDIA Blackwell or something but in terms of performance/watt these are ultra high-end ICs.

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No one is competing on CPU though. Its like having the highest RPM lawnmower, no one cares, its not useful.

To make it worse, they arent even the best. Its getting mid tier, and in 2024, its nearly unreasonable to buy mid-tier when low-tier is good enough for everything.

Not sure about that, the consumer CPU market is probably more competitive right now than it's been in a decade, primarily on efficiency.

Also not sure what that has to do with the original point, which is that the A15 is not an impressive chip to be manufacturing in the US because it's designed by apple and meant for mobile devices, neither of which are reasons to discount the complexity of the chip.

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