Intel inside Apple

In a move that some will see as sticking a stick of dynamite in one of the orifices of the PC chip industry ZDNet and CNET are suggesting a wholesale move by Apple to “ditch”  IBM and move to Intel technology. This rumor has being doing the circuit over the last few weeks. It was interesting that Walt Mossberg did not drill Steve Jobs on the issue when he had the interview opportunity at D3. Maybe he did not want to steal the WSJ scoop and follow-up article. The WSJ now has run another article essentially confirming the CNET story.

Harry McCracken, PCWorld’s Editor in Chief offers a perspective and Macworld UK has a rumor summary. I’ve lived in the Mac industry for nearly 20 years and while nothing from Apple would surprise me, the story as currently presented just does not feel quite right. However, Apple has managed two transitions in the past, Lisa to Mac and 680x0 to PowerPC.  Also the NeXT OS ran on multiple platforms. Rumors have circulated for years about Apple running the MacOS on the Intel platform. Using a Fat Binaries type approach to compile apps for different chip architectures is possible and maybe Apple is considering a dual boot strategy where both the Mac (Apple OS) and Windows could launch.

With delays in Microsoft's Longhorn and continued user dissatisfaction with lack of security, viruses, spyware and malware on the WinTel platform - maybe market conditions are now right for such a bold move. There are many opportunities for Apple to use Intel technologies, especially in the mobile markets and high-end graphic space with nVidia. Rumors of tablets and other mobile devices have been around for a while. This wild speculation however does support the unmistakable trend towards various forms of mobile devices.

Do I see Apple making aggressive moves in the handheld, laptop and mobile space, utilizing the latest wireless technologies ? Absolutely. The delays in the G5 for new portables could be a major factor in Apple considering a switch to Intel

Do I see Apple spending that much time and effort on moving legacy desktop applications to an Intel x86 platform with all the issues it brings– sorry, but I remain extremely skeptical. Of course, just because Apple is working with Intel, it does not necessarily mean the collaboration is on x86 technology.  Legacy applications such as those from Adobe and Microsoft are unlikely to move across, instead the focus will be on new applications.

I believe such a move could be a long-term nail in the coffin for the Mac consumer desktop market. The Mac Mini and G5 iMac – while great products could  become niche or used to test parts of the transition. Apple's long-term focus will be on laptops and mobile devices.

Anyway, all will be revealed (or not) at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco on Monday when Steve Jobs delivers a keynote address. I will listen with interest to see if Steve uses this opportunity to change the name from the MacOS to the AppleOS or sticks with the massive brand equity that exists with Mac.

Stay tuned. Never a dull moment with Apple.         
Tags: Apple, Intel, Mac, Macintosh

Comments

[Sam Levin]

I'm still trying to understand why Apple would shift from PowerPC to an Intel based processor..

Perhaps a specific line of mobile based Apple devices will be x86 based, yet this would not make sense to have a two chip strategy, would it?

I too, eagerly await tomorrow's WWDC Keynote and view Jobs' prestidigitation..

sam levin