Comments on: Apple to ditch IBM, switch to Intel chips

Apple will announce its plans Monday in a move that raises questions about the Mac maker's future computer strategy.

[paintedover26k]

from a yahoo message board

"Apple is a music distributor with an interest in DRM (Digital
Rights Management) hardwired ont the intel Pentium. Apple
need not tie the OS to flash ROM code as done on PowerPC
boxes. Apple can tie the software to DRM access keys hardwired
into every intel Pentium. Apple can sell the OS without fear of
theft, and Apple can sell music the same way. Using Intel
Pentiums with DRM appears to be a business opportunity that
does not detract from the existing Power PC business.

Apple help desk could remotely tune or fix software issues, and
remotely diagnose hardware issues. The remote feature of DRM
is what Dell refers to as white glove service. DRM allows remote
snooping your computer while it is off to find bootleg software
and music/videos. Department of Home Security loves this.
Microsoft likes it too.

The down side of DRM is all for the owner of the new Apple
computers. Back door hacking while your computer is off. No
copying of DVD's. Now music exchange with your friends. No
backup copies. No upgrade to with non DRM hard drives, and
accessories. Your computer are belong to us guys in
Cuppertino/Redomond/SatanClara/WashingtonDC. "

Isn't This Very Close to Anti-Trust?

If Intel now has 82% of the PC market, and now you toss in Apple on top of it, then what's left? Wouldn't that mean that only x86 was the choice in the market for PC's?

This seems like very, very ominous news if true, and very, very much like another Anti-Trust scenario.

[Albertv]

As with Microsoft, the government can be bought

In this day and age where the American Empire is being build as we speak, I don't think the political will exist to enforce this. Besides, Apple maybe riding in two camps. Microsoft, Mozilla etc can release product in multi-platform camps, why not Apple.

[wazzledoozle]

As long as AMD exists

x86 wouldnt be considered a monopoly of Intel.
Now we can only hope that Dell breaks away form teh evil empire and starts using AMD chips.

Most people

Would argue that Intel DOES not have a monopoly. AMD has done very well as have VIA making CPUs. You can build a PC using non-Intel parts and for the part, a very large number of people have these. Microsoft, on the other hand, has a monopoly on desktops. Once you add Apple's 2.95487 percent, Yeah, Intel could bump up to 85 percent.

[bcasadonte]

Sounds great if...

Personally, being a long time Apple / Mac fan, I have no issue
with Apple going with Intel so long as Apple's systems get faster
(and hopefully less expensive). If Intel chips can outpace IBM's
offerings, then why not? I use the Mac for the OS, not the chip
that is inside the computer. If an Intel-based Mac helps me get
my work done faster, then I am all for it.

I don't see how switching to a chip supplier that supplies 90% of
the desktop / laptop microprocessors in the world could
possibly be a bad thing...

bc

Price issue

"...I prefer free over $150 windows xp or $130 mac upgrades...
Not that any OS is perfect... software should be cheap or free,
and Windows nor Mac OSX provides it readily."

Let me get straight the price issue. 130$ for Tiger and 300$ for
full XP Professional. Or 200$ for XP Professional if you had spent
some money for previous Windows before. Not that Apple is
cheap but MS is much more expensive than most people think.

oops, that was to appear in a sub-thread, sorry

Sorry...

[exalphageek]

Intel, maybe; x86, probably not

Remember that, as part of the original PowerPC partnership,
Apple has the right to make (or have made) its own PowerPC
chips. They did a whole chunk of the design work in modifying
the Power architecture to work as a standalone microprocessor,
rather than as a chip with a whole army of support processors
(the innards of the IBM AS/400 and IBM RS/6000) Apple
originally had Motorola making chips for them. Then, when Moto
stopped being agressive about line widths and clock speeds,
Apple turned to IBM for fab support.

If they are turning to Intel, my suspicion is that it's a custom fab
agreement, where Intel will make 2-5MM chips/year using
state-of-the art line widths and clock speeds. The PowerPC is an
"easy" chip to improve (low gate count, highly regular
architecture) when compared to the complexity of the x86. IBM
wants out of the faster clock/finer line width deathmarch they
signed on to with Apple: IBM's PowerPC products don't need the
every-nine-months-like-clockwork speedbump that Apple
demands.

Intel gains a volume fab win where they can try out new fab
techniques (200,000 - 400,000 parts per month, where two or
three month slippages are not the end of the world) without
impacting the deathmarch with AMD.

[Chung Leong]

No one is replying to this thread, hah

Sounds to me like the most rational explanation and the most likely scenario. That's why people are ignoring this thread. Nothing to rant about when it's just a fab change.

[Albertv]

Apple switching? No. Apple adding.

We live in a time of all or nothing. I predict Apple is not dumping IBM but adding Intel. That's a move that makes sense. There is no reason why they can not exist on 2 platforms. That's would be an innovation. My 2 cents.

[EnvisionOne]

Welcome Back Apple

It's been a long and tiring dual... I'm waiting with open arms... Welcome back Apple.

[wazzledoozle]

Microsoft induced

In the book 1984, the government re-educates enemys of the state to show them why the state was right, and then kills them. Microsoft could have absolutely crushed Apple in the mid 90's, but instead invested in them with $150 bought stock. Now, apple is slowly changing, USB ports on their comps, Ipod/Itunes for windows, Mac Mini for mass market. Now switching to the same CPU maker that windows exclusively runs on.

Only question now is, after this transition, how long will it take for apple to be killed off?

[wazzledoozle]

correction

Thats 150 Million dollars of stock.

Let us edit our comments, c|net!

[Thrudheim]

It's the OS that makes a Mac . . .

I don't care what processor is in the box as long as I get the Mac
experience on the screen. It is not Intel I dislike, it's Windows.

All the Mac haters out there posting gloating comments don't seem
to get it. Sure, I like Apple hardware now, and I bet I will still like it
if Apple really does switch to Intel-made processors. Just because
Apple is rumored to join the "mainstream," however, does not
mean Macs will lose their distinctiveness. It's the OS, stupid.

[skipperpma]

Apple Commits Suicide

I've been happily switched over to the Mac side ever sense OS X. - If these awful roomers are true, it will be the end of what could have been a great come back for Apple. - If true, it will only be a matter of time before a patch/hack is released that will allow OS X to be installed on a reg. (boring/ugly/underpowered) pc - and presto. This HARDWARE company (Apple is NOT a SOFTWARE COMPANY) should be gone and nothing more than a found memory with in a couple of years. I seriously doubt the Apple faithful will be willing to have a "intel inside" sticker on the sides of there Macs.
The only breath of fresh air in the tech community is about to be polluted. - Very sad...

[skipperpma]

Opps, sorry -

roomers = rumors
found = fond
there = their

I apologize, I was so disturbed by the story I made several foolish mistakes.

"intel inside"?

They might well be "AMD Inside", or whatever AMD's branding program in called.

XBox 360 and OSX

<conspiracy_theory>
Microsoft is pushing Apple to dump the PowerPC architecture so that you wouldn't have much of OSX-on-PowerPC left to run and/or play with on the XBox 360.
</consripacy_theory>

<i_wonder_why>
If a Mac is *NOT* a PC, then why is the architecture on which it runs, i.e. the PowerPC, called the Power*PC*?
</i_wonder_why>

[tubedogg]

Perhaps because

Gee, I don't know, a Mac *is* a PC? I guess it goes along with hacker vs cracker...the media (even the tech media) seems to have problems using words correctly.

research your colon

http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/03/02/doom3/index.php

http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2436&p=6

[Grassroots Special]

$38 a share......

Apple and Microsoft are not in competiion with each other. The two companies share a Coke/Pepsi relationship. This relationship squeezes out competition and protects from any monopoly issues. The Intel news is old, but true and noteworthy. If Jobs also intoduces an Ipod phone on Monday...$38 a share on Friday was a missed window of opportunity. I predict the stock opens at $40. I will revisit this post on Monday night to discuss the five point jump in stock price for "AAPL".

[Grassroots Special]

Hurt?

Every journalist looks for their Drudge/Clinton story... their big break. However, this author isn't really bringing much to the table. Those familiar with "AAPL" have seen this coming since May. The article is old news and the author is by no means being manipulative...just doing their job. When Steve Jobs introduces an iPod phone or one that is itunes compatiable on Monday, watch the stock price. I can assure you, no one will be hurting.

[wuzelwazel]

A Definitive Answer

Apple does have a tradition of innovation in the industry.
However, that doesn't mean that they 'invented' everything they
use and I'll be the first one to admit that... Has Dell 'invented' all
of the technology they use? Hell no! I'd wager that they've
'invented' far far less than Apple has.

May I remind you all that there are thousands of companies
involved in the different aspects of this industry? Because Apple
was one of the first people to scrap the floppy drive and start
including CD-RW drives in their computers standard; because
they foresaw the possible benefits of FireWire and adopted it
before PCs had any external media ports with a bus speed
anywhere near 400mb/s (I'd cry if I had to use USB 1.1 with a
digital video camera or my iPod) doesn't mean they necessarily
'invented' or even manufacture those parts, it just means they
were 'innovative' enough to start using them because they saw
their value.

That said I'm sure Apple is better connected to the industry than
anyone posting here and has information about future products
from Intel and IBM and their estimated ship dates/benefits and
is making the correct decision right now; much to the chagrin of
all of the PC users posting here because they can't understand
why I like my computer more than they do.

[Llib Setag]

Until Mr. Jobs says so...It AIN'T true.

The ONLY credible "inside source" at Apple is Steve
Jobs...PERIOD.

After the "rumormonger" sites mess in the past...MAYBE, Jobs &
Co. are simply messing with the press. Maybe they are just
"leaking" DIS-information to the press, so as to throw them off
on a "rant & flame" blog war BS, while they are working on what
WILL ACTUALLY be revealed at the WWDC KEYNOTE.

IT AIN'T OVER TILL THE MAN IN THE BLACK TURTLENECK SHIRT
SAYS...."AND ONE MORE THING..."

You're Wrong

>That said I'm sure Apple is better connected to the industry than
>anyone posting here

I hate to break it to you this way, but you are wrong, so very wrong with this statement.

Yeah...

"I don't think you'll do too well trying to run Windows 95 on a brand new machine. It will get confused by SATA, USB, new video cards, hard drives that are too big, new chipsets, among other things."

Actually, I've done this for kicks and it still works.

"And I can run Linux or BSD just fine on a Mac."

Great, can you run older Mac OSes on a new Mac? No, you can't can you? You can't even run a revisions of OSX that are just a two years old on the Mac Mini...

[Orion Blastar]

The Apple Genius

well at least the Apple Genius didn't tell you that you weren't smart enough to own a Mac Mini or whatever they usually tell people. I think the Apple Genius people were modeled after Simon on "American Idol" and are supposed to be rude and offensive and trollish.

If Apple does not care about customer service, they are going to go the way of the dinosaur.