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Report: Apple Switching to Intel Chips |
Tael
2nd Rear Admiral
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Joined: July 03, 2002
Posts: 3697
From: San Francisco Bay Area
|  Posted: 2005-06-06 16:11
Text linked to Yahoo news for complete story.
SAN FRANCISCO - A stormy, decade-long relationship between Apple Computer Inc. and IBM is over, according to published reports. Apple CEO Steve Jobs is expected to announce Monday morning at the company's software developers conference in San Francisco that Apple will discontinue using microprocessor chips made by IBM in favor of Intel chips, according to CNET Networks Inc.'s News.com and The Wall Street Journal.
Officials from Apple, Intel Corp. and International Business Machines Corp. could not be reached Sunday to confirm the report.
For years, rumors of Apple's wish to jump to Intel have been circulating. But two weeks ago, analysts were skeptical when The Wall Street Journal reported that Intel and Apple were in negotiations.
One reason for the skepticism is that the move represents a significant risk for Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple.
Switching to Intel's x86 chips would force Apple's programmers to rewrite its software in order to adapt to the new processor.
"I don't know that Apple's market share can survive another architecture shift," Insight 64 analyst Nathan Brookwood told News.com. "Every time they do this, they lose more customers."
News.com reported that Apple would begin the transition to Intel with its lower-end computers, such as the Mac Mini, in mid-2006 and higher-end models a year later.
Apple's break with IBM stemmed from Jobs' wish that IBM make a larger variety of the PowerPC processors used in Macintosh systems. IBM balked because of concerns over the profitability of a low-volume business, News.com reported.
By wrestling away Apple's business from IBM, Intel tightens its stranglehold on the PC processor business. The company holds more than an 80 percent share of the market.
Although IBM suffers a setback with the loss of Apple, the company could reap a financial windfall from deals with Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony Corp (SNE.N). to put microprocessors it is producing in next-generation video-game consoles.
A new microprocessor that IBM co-developed with Sony and Toshiba Corp, code-named Cell and planned for Sony's next PlayStation console, is being touted as capable of delivering 10 times the performance of today's PC processors
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Mithrandir
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Joined: October 22, 2001
Posts: 1276
| Posted: 2005-06-06 16:16
Craziness. Though I must say, I might give OS X a try (dual boot) if it becomes possible in the near future. Its a nice bit of software, and their iLife suite is also very nice.
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BackSlash
Marshal
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Joined: March 23, 2003
Posts: 11183
From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2005-06-06 16:21
Intel seem to make the cooler mobile chips, so it would be better for their notebooks, and since Apple like raw power for their machines, the raw clock speed of the intel processors might just suit them fine.
But for anything else, such as gaming and graphics development, AMD will always be miles ahead (mobile and desktop).
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LordShard
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Joined: April 28, 2005
Posts: 140
| Posted: 2005-06-06 16:36
Old news. I've known this since it became rumors on all the tech pages about a month ago. >: P
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LordShard
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| Posted: 2005-06-06 16:38
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On 2005-06-06 16:21, BackSlash *Jack* wrote:
Intel seem to make the cooler mobile chips, so it would be better for their notebooks, and since Apple like raw power for their machines, the raw clock speed of the intel processors might just suit them fine.
But for anything else, such as gaming and graphics development, AMD will always be miles ahead (mobile and desktop).
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Well right now, the AMD chips are more capable AND cooler then anything intel has. *shrugs*
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BackSlash
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Joined: March 23, 2003
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From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2005-06-06 16:40
Intel's M processors seem to be a bit more cooler under load though, my cousin brought his new AMD mobile laptop round just yesterday, and it melted a .. cant remember the name, but the snack has a wax outer cover...melted several of those which where resting ontop of it. Cleaned off easily, but....jesus that thing got hot when playing HL2.
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Tael
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From: San Francisco Bay Area
| Posted: 2005-06-06 18:42
Quote:
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On 2005-06-06 16:36, LordShard wrote:
Old news. I've known this since it became rumors on all the tech pages about a month ago. >: P
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And you think this makes you look wise... There has been talk about this for 10 years... It almost happened about 5 years ago but at the last minute IBM came out with a deal and a few promises about chip speed ramp ups which kept the contract for them.
But sadly IBM failed to meet the power requirement and speed improvement goals per the contract. So Apple has been seeking a new chip supplier for the last couple of years to replace IBM when the contracts expire. Its been in all the normal news outlets too, so reading a techno journel wasn't the only exclusive way to learn about it. And if you only knew about the possibility for the last month then you might not be as knowledgable as you think.
Thus yes, the fact Apple was looking to jump beds has been no secret for a long time, its finally official and thats all this article was about. Speculation and rumors aside.
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Mithrandir
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Joined: October 22, 2001
Posts: 1276
| Posted: 2005-06-06 19:24
Those Pentium M's are extremely efficient, not to mention power conscious and cool/quiet. Toms Hardware, I think it was, did an overclocking test with them and found them to be much more powerful than a P4 at similar clockspeeds/power levels/heat points... any way you slice it, its a better processor - except for the ability to hit high Ghz's. In fact, its rather like an Athlon.. 
I'm kinda surprised they didn't just announce a switch to x86 and work with AMD and Intel; AMD has Dual Core 64-Bit processors, and Intel is just barely getting those out. Apple has an OS already tuned to 64-bit processors and dual processor setups, so you'd think AMD setups would be more to their liking; oh well, I suppose.
Still, theoretically you can just build your own AMD rig and put OSX on it and have the same thing for cheaper, so I suppose it works out in the end.
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JRE
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Joined: August 14, 2003
Posts: 571
| Posted: 2005-06-07 01:09
Speaking of AMD laptops, Im sitting here with mine on my lap and it is burning my leg!
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BackSlash
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Joined: March 23, 2003
Posts: 11183
From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2005-06-07 01:18
Yeh, I was surprised in that aspect, seeing as Mac OS can go 64bit...But like I said earlier, their machines rely on raw power, and since AMD chips work on a 'equivilant' system, I dont know if they would like it or not.
I've always liked AMD for anything, their speed/cost is a helluvalot better than Intel chips, and at the moment, they seem to be hitting the spot with their high-end 64-bit chips. My FX-55 has been running in my system for well over a few months now, and I wouldnt change it for the world, the memory managment compaired to Intels is shocking, the speed in which I can load memory intensive games/programs now is frightning compaired to my other Athlon XP +3200, and P4 2.8 ghz systems.
It will be interesting to see how the Apple machines turn out.
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DOM700 [-IMO-]
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Joined: July 26, 2001
Posts: 3175
From: Eckental, Germany, Sol-System
| Posted: 2005-06-07 02:31
Especially when using Linux Pentium M chips are extremely good to use when there is no power supply
I guess I can work 5-6 hours with them
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BackSlash
Marshal
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Posts: 11183
From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2005-06-07 13:04
Just been looking around on the net for a few hours, apparently some guy managed to hack a FX-53 into his G5 (gotta be damn skilled to do that...). The speed boost he got was around the margin of 35%, with loading times on apps cut by more than 50%....
Im going to keep looking, see if theres any storys on Intel hacked G5's....
One theory could be that because Intel own so much of the market, they think that more people will buy Apple machines because of it....Since on the TV you always so "blah blah blah, now with the latest Intel Pentium processor!" (although i've noticed an increase in AMD systems being advertised on the TV).
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c0ld
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Posts: 342
From: UK
| Posted: 2005-06-07 14:05
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On 2005-06-06 19:24, Mithrandir wrote:
Still, theoretically you can just build your own AMD rig and put OSX on it and have the same thing for cheaper, so I suppose it works out in the end.
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See, I don't see the business sense in this. Making the mac an x86 comp will put OSx into direct compition with Windoze. I'd like to say OSx would win, but who knows. It would also put the mac on a collision course with the PC, which would frankly be the end for the mac.
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LordShard
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Posts: 140
| Posted: 2005-06-07 15:04
Quote:
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On 2005-06-07 14:05, c0ldfury wrote:
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On 2005-06-06 19:24, Mithrandir wrote:
Still, theoretically you can just build your own AMD rig and put OSX on it and have the same thing for cheaper, so I suppose it works out in the end.
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See, I don't see the business sense in this. Making the mac an x86 comp will put OSx into direct compition with Windoze. I'd like to say OSx would win, but who knows. It would also put the mac on a collision course with the PC, which would frankly be the end for the mac.
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Mac+x86=unstable? 
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Meko
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From: Vancouver
| Posted: 2005-06-16 00:56
Quote:
| Jack said: ...But for anything else, such as gaming and graphics development, AMD will always be miles ahead (mobile and desktop).
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im sorry but im going to disagree.
now before you haul out the thousands of stat pages for me, (i know you got em) im going to say this. my opinion is based on my personal experiance alone.
I had an AMD processor and a 'state of the art system' before. everything was terrible. litterally, it wasnt just my computer however, it was my friends.
so i (my dad and me) took the computer into the shop within a month, bought a new processcor (intel) and some more ram (got it from 256 to 512) and it ran SO much better.
now before you say "it was the ram" it wasnt. ive dont a ram increase from 512 to 1.5 gig ram and it didnt improve this much. it was obviously the processors fault.
Now with this being said, im not up to date with AMD's or any dual processor stuff because frankly, no time or money.
also im not bashing the AMD's power or performance today, but i sure know what they were like before. i put my trust in intel for another major reason. My computer is not game oriented. it is a graphics computer, made for running video and animation software, and i dont know anyone that uses AMD over intel.
I have never been a fan of macs. ever. my uncle is a hardcore hate microsoft anti windows guy. (imagin familly reunions). so its not like i dont see the apple side of things, security, lack of virus', speed, cool looking computer that kinda crap. However anytime that im doing more than surfing the web (haha safari sucks), or doing anything that is involved (Importand video editing) this really cool mac feature always turns on. it does the "auto program shut down without any chance of saving or recovery" feature.
now im pretty good with the saving thing (ctrl-s before and after everythign major), but literally every 5 minuts is rediculous. so thats why i dispise macs.
however, with this move from IBM i think this is possibly a GREAT opertunity to get this damn monopoly out of here. lets face it, how many people Actualy use linux? unix? ect.
so if they move to intel and all the software gets recoded, and mac computers become basically another "Dell", then i see a perfect opurtunity for mr. Jobs to finally step up and not only offer an "alternative" to a microsoft system, but a Competition.
i would Love to see programs be able to go from mac to PC without special coding. i would be absolutly extatic if i could run all my PC programs on a mac.
Why you ask? because nothing will jump start and industry like a little healthy competition. i think microsoft will finally get thier head partway out of thier butt if there is a powerfull, easy to use operating system as competition. i dont include linux as competition because the 'average' user cant pick it up and love it. (too confuddling for us dim ones)
so what do i think of macs going to intel? bring it on. in Teal's article one man said that the mac user base will fall because of this. i see potential gains that far outway loosing a couple hardcore hippies. (from a buisness sense at least)
now, after typing all this, dont assume im 'well' versed in this issue, because i get to check the news about twice a week... computer related news much less. so the possible implications of mac's using intel i really do not know, and this post is just my speculation and thoughts.
-Steve
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