> Of course there is question... The Ipad was a tremendous success for Apple. In fact, the M1 is possible because tablets in general and phones sell so much compared to normal computers that have made the price of those ARM semiconductors way lower than Intel's or AMD.
It's the phones that put Apple in a position to make M1 silicon, and in fact that's probably the impetus for it -- the more restricted form factor has even tighter demands on power efficiency than the larger tablet/laptop/desktop formats.
From Apple's 2020Q3 financial results (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/FY20-Q3_Consolidated_Fin...), the iPad is more or less their lowest-revenue product line (in competition with 'wearables and accessories').
It's the phones that put Apple in a position to make M1 silicon, and in fact that's probably the impetus for it -- the more restricted form factor has even tighter demands on power efficiency than the larger tablet/laptop/desktop formats.