Forbes: Any Doubts That Apple Will Use New IBM Chips Are Starting To Whither

by , 11:00 AM EDT, October 16th, 2002

The mainstream world is really getting into the Apple speculation game. News earlier this week that IBM had introduced a new PowerPC processor called the PowerPC 970 included a Reuters report that quoted "industry insiders" as saying the processor would be used by Apple (see our report on IBM's released specs for the chip for more information). Since then, several other mainstream sources have jumped on the bandwagon with their own prognostications. Today, Forbes published the second such speculative piece from Arik Hesseldahl, and this one states the case for Apple to adopt the new 64-bit processors even more strongly. From the piece, titled "IBM Remains Coy About Apple Chip:"

If there is still any doubt about IBM's intentions with its forthcoming PowerPC 970 chip, it's quickly starting to wither.

As coy as IBM is being about what computer company may ultimately buy the chip for use in its machines, there's little question now that Apple Computer is the target customer for the chip.

There was a key hint from Peter Scandon, senior processor architect at IBM Microelectronics, who gave a technical presentation about the chip at the annual Microprocessor Forum being held here this week. During the presentation, Scandon specifically used the word "Altivec."

[...]

"To me, the fact that it has Altivec, that points to Apple," says InStat/MDR analyst Tom Halfhill.

There's more in the full article at Forbes.com.

The Mac Observer Spin:

It's entertaining to see the mainstream press get all hot and bothered on what has traditionally been the domain of the online Mac community. Apple news generates page views, however, and even the big boys want page views. That's the cynical view of this coverage, however. That the mainstream press cares what processor Apple may be using, or planning to use, is a very good sign, and it helps keep the company's name in the public's eye as a computer maker of note. As such, we see this speculation as being good for Apple and the Mac platform.

One has to wonder, however, how much of this was intended, or even planned by Apple. If the company is going to move to the PowerPC 970, as so many analysts think, why this advanced leak of information from PowerPC partner IBM? Motorola has tended to allow Apple's schedule to control the announcement of new processors. It's almost enough to make you think that Apple was looking for this sort of buzz to be created over the PowerPC 970, but you never know.

Forbes Article