[Wolves] Apple moving to Intel?

[chris procter]

> Sorry, it's sort of OT but as many on here use
> Apple's.
> 
> http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050604/80/fkepw.html
> 
> That's what it looks like at the moment....but will
> it happen?

There are good arguements both for and against them
doing this. There is a window of opportunity while MS
faff with longhorn and dont have a decent x86_64
offering (linux does but its certainly not its main
focus, Sun does but its not a desktop OS). So maybe if
Apple got in first they could take control of the
64bit desktop market and give the old enemy a bit of a
kicking on their home ground. 

It could also lead to cheaper desktops, faster
laptops, and cpu supplier with a desktop focus (unlike
IBM who concentrate on servers and playstations, and
Freescale who concentrate on embedded cpus)

On the downside a change in cpu architecture would
piss off many existing developers (who would at
minimum need to recompile and support two versions)
and users (like me who regard ppc as a better
architecture, and those who buy in to years of apple
hype about ppc being the best thing since sliced
bread). They would also need to support existing
software, possible using an emulator (as they did with
the 68000 -> ppc transition), but ppc emulators are
notoriously hard to make fast on x86 hardware.

Apple is a hardware business, thats where they make
their money, could they differentiate themselves
enough from Dell etc to continue to make money in the
very low margin pc world? They would probably have to
lock OSX to Apple hardware, and how could they do that
when the core operating system (Darwin) is open
sourced? And would also those people clamouring for
OSX86 be prepared to buy Apple hardware to run it on
even if it was cheaper then it is now?

Then there is the reaction of Microsoft, would they
continue to support Office for the Mac if it ventured
into 'their' x86 space? And could Apple survive if
they  pulled support (like they did with IE when Apple
released the Safari browser.

I cant see a move to 32bit x86, but x86_64 is
possible, it would be a risk but Apple are as strong
as they've ever been thanks to the iPod and a very
healthy bank account so if they were going to do it
now wouldn't be a bad time.

There are two other possibilities, one, they are just
buying Intel chips for either a new device or for say
wireless cards for their existing ones (intel based
wireless cards would be very good, Apples current
Airport cards aren't supported under linux).
Alternativley they are doing something less radical
like licensing OSX to someone to make x86 based
machines for the business market. Apple, attack of the
clones part 2 anyone?

Mind you apple have a talent for doing the unexpected
so maybe a transition to a pure software business with
OSX for intel is just about thinkable.

chris



		
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