Jeff this will be interesting change. An I think for the good. Letting others know about OSX. While I doubt you will able to run OSX on a basic PC. There will be an easy transition to OSX from a Window computer as I am sure someone will have a windows to OSX emulator in the future that is seamless.
On Jun 6, 2005, at 2:05 PM, Jeff @ SLYN Systems wrote: > Apple to switch to Intel's PC chips > New chips will allow PC maker to lower prices > <1.gif> > By Jonathan Burton, MarketWatch > Last Update: 1:44 PM ET June 6, 2005 > > SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Apple Computer Inc. said Monday that it > will begin using microprocessor chips made by Intel Corp. in its > signature Macintosh computers beginning next year, ending a > longstanding relationship with International Business Machines Corp. > > Apple (AAPL: news, chart, profile) made the announcement as Chief > Executive Steve Jobs delivered the keynote speech at the company's > annual conference for software developers in San Francisco. > > "Our goal is to provide our customers with the best personal computers > in the world, and looking ahead Intel has the strongest processor road > map by far," Jobs said in a statement released at the start of his > talk. > > The chip transition is a stunning about-face for Apple, which has > fought a long, mostly uphill battle against competing computer > products that run on Intel (INTC: news, chart, profile) chips and > rival software from Microsoft Corp. > > The switch to Intel likely will allow Apple to lower prices at a time > when it is trying to boost its meager share of the PC market by > capitalizing on consumers' devotion to the company's iPod digital > music player. > > However, by embracing Intel after years of railing against its > dominance of the PC market, Apple risks alienating its famously loyal > base of users and developers. > > "The most visible risk is that there could be some pushback in the > developer community, as the move would require programmers to rewrite > some applications," Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote in a > research note. > > Still, Munster predicted that the long-term gains from the new > partnership will outweigh any "short-term pain." > > Using Intel will give Apple a consistent supply of chips, bring the > price of Macintoshes more in line with its competitors and reach a > potentially larger developer community, which would lead to more > commercial applications for the Mac, according to the analyst. > > Effects on IBM > > The Mac maker's switch signals a shift in the fortunes of the > chipmaking unit at IBM (IBM: news, chart, profile) , which has > manufactured Power PC processors for the Macintosh for more than a > decade. > > Apple reportedly has been upset about Big Blue's inability to engineer > a next-generation chip that can be used in its notebook computers. > Desktop Macs run on the powerful G5 product, but the chips generate > too much heat to be used in PowerBook and iBook laptops. > > Apple uses the so-called G4 chip, manufactured by Freescale > Semiconductor (FSL: news, chart, profile) , for its notebook computers > and the Mac mini PC. Freescale shares fell on the report, even though > Apple sales represented only 3% of the company's 2004 sales of $5.7 > billion. > > According to the CNET article, Apple would shift its lower-priced > computers such as the Mac mini to Intel chips in mid-2006 and > higher-end machines such as the Power Mac in mid-2007. > > IBM sold its own PC unit to a Chinese rival late last year, and has > had recent success with its non-PC chips, some of which are being used > to power Microsoft's Xbox video-game hardware. > > Representatives for Apple and IBM could not be reached Sunday for > comment. Intel and Freescale said they could not comment on what each > referred to as "rumor and speculation." > > Reports of an Apple-Intel partnership lit up Internet blogs and > message boards on Sunday, with reports that Apple apparently is > targeting laptops and the development of its rumored portable Tablet > PC, and that an Intel alliance could be a means to capturing greater > share of the computer business. > > Building on iPod momentum > > Apple has made great strides toward that goal with its breakout iPod > digital music player. Earlier this year, Morgan Stanley estimated that > iPod users switching to Macs from PCs could boost Apple's share of the > global computer market to 5% from 3% in 2005. > ? > > Yet a pact with Intel would come at a time when iPod sales appear to > be slowing. Goldman Sachs said in a research report Thursday that iPod > shipments could be flat this quarter. > > Also last week, Apple settled a customer class-action suit over the > iPod's battery life that could cost $100 million or more, involving > one of the first three generations of the iPod. See full story. > > On Friday, Shares of Apple Computer lost $1.80, or 4.5%, to $38.24. > > Testing brand loyalty > > The switch also could pose some significant product branding issues > that could hurt Apple in the short term, according to some analysts. > > Apple's biggest hurdle could be appeasing its dedicated, often > fanatical customer base, which could recoil from seeing an "Intel > Inside" sticker on a Power Mac. > > "The world associates Intel with [Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT: news, > chart, profile) ] Windows," said Elise Bauer, a partner at the > Pacifica Group in Livermore, Calif., which provides strategic > marketing consulting to technology companies. > > "Intel is coupled with Windows to the point where we call it a > 'Wintel' box. If Apple is now embracing Intel, then there's some > rebranding for both companies, Intel and Apple, to do around that. Now > you'd have 'Mactel' and 'Wintel.' The branding challenge for both > Apple and Intel is to create a distinction," she added. > > What's more, software developers would have to rewrite software > applications to maximize the performance of the Intel processors. > > Still, most Mac users' loyalty may be solid enough that Apple > effectively can do no wrong, Bauer suggested. > > "As a dedicated Mac fanatic since 1987, I don't care what chip is in > the box as long as it's doing the job and helps Apple to develop the > platform," she said. "What I care about is that Apple stays in > business and continues to thrive." > Jeff Slyn, Owner > SLYN Systems & Peripherals > (502) 426-5469 > serving Kentuckiana clients 7 days a week since 1985! -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 7484 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.math.louisville.edu/pipermail/macgroup/attachments/20050606/ed416bf2/attachment.bin
